THE INTERFERENCE TRILOGY: Myth
by Briar Elwood
Summary: The scorpion will lead to the final downfall of the Ori. Sequel to Origin. Starts four years after S10, set mostly eight years after S10. S10 SPLRS. DV, SJ, brief CamLam, Teal’cIshta, CamOC. AU. 3rd out of 3.
1. Prologue

Myth

Briar Elwood

Summary: It's not just power in the cave…it's a monster. Third in Aftermath series [sequel to Origin. Starts four years after S10, S10 SPLRS. DV, SJ, brief CamLam, Teal'cIshta. AU.

Disclaimer: I may own the universe it takes place in, but no more.

A/N: It's only two months after Origin. Oh…and Anjirika? This fic is almost _completely_ indebted to you.

Prologue

Daniel couldn't _believe_ the stink of this place. It was dark, dank and just over-all creepy. He could barely see the outline of a large; breathing figure, confirming what he had suspected was in here. Its fur was pitch black and Daniel could make out the faint image of discolored claws and fangs. It's breath was heavy, stinking up the cave more and more with every exhale. It's shaggy hide filled up most of the room, leaving Daniel a little too close for comfort to the beast.

And then an eye opened less than a foot away from Daniel's face. Its yellow glow squinted at the intruder. A burst of adrenaline rushed through his system and Daniel whirled, rushing through the stone.

**00**

Daniel woke with a start. Frantically, he looked around him, trying to find Vala before remembering he was on the couch because Vala had insisted they sleep separately the night before their wedding night. He had found it kind of odd for _her_ to want such a thing but hadn't argued…too much anyway.

Suddenly it hit him. He was getting _married_ today.

…

He was getting married _today_.

Well, it was about one in the morning, but it was still _today_, wasn't it?

And, yes, he'd gotten married before but he hadn't really known it until later.

Daniel was getting married.

Today.

"There's no _way_ I'm getting back to sleep now," he muttered to himself, sitting up and getting out of bed. "No _way_."

A/N: HELLO EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!! Hope you liked the beginning. Now, the action I mentioned at the end of Origin? That doesn't really start up for a while but…it's still exciting until then! Oh, just you wait…I'm so excited; it's hard to contain myself!!!!

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!!


	2. Death & Dreams

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: I'M SORRY WINGS90!!!!!!! I REALLY, TRULY AM!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter I

Death & Dreams

"Jackson, you haven't spoken all day," Cam observed, straightening his bowtie. Daniel, staring in the mirror, barely acknowledged his friend.

"Oh, he's just nervous," Jack, all suited up as best man, told the colonel. "Don't you remember _your_ wedding day?"

Cam shrugged. "Okay, whatever. We should probably go. C'mon, T." He glanced back over his shoulder. "See ya later, Jackson."

Daniel nodded slightly. After Cameron and Teal'c left, Jack turned to Daniel, frowning.

"He's got a point, though. You _are_ a little quiet. _Is_ it just nervousness?" Jack asked. Daniel shrugged.

"Kinda. Had a nightmare last night."  
Jack's brow creased. "I though you didn't _allow_ dreams."

Daniel turned to Jack, mouth twisted. "I'm not _Ori_ anymore, Jack."

"True point," the retired general agreed. "So what was the nightmare?"

Daniel shook his head. "Doesn't really matter."

Jack's lips pursed. "Okay. Whatever you say."

**About An Hour Later…**

It was the wedding Vala had always dreamed of. Carolyn and Rose had gone ahead, Rose as the tine flower girl, followed closely by Teal'c with Jared as ring bearer. Red and burgundy rose petals now cluttered the isle and Daniel, in his smashing black tux and a burgundy bowtie, which contrasted wonderfully with his emerald eyes, stood at the opposite end, eyes glittering at Vala as she walked closer to him. Vala's dress was the classic white (only because Daniel had insisted). It had only one long sleeve that passed her fingertips and that showed her rebelliousness plainly as it was black with burgundy roses printed on it. There was practically no back to the dress, yet it flowed a couple feet behind her on the floor. Her veil was white (again, only because of Daniel) with red roses weaved through her black hair. Her appearance made Daniel completely forget the nightmare and (though he would _never_ admit it) anticipate that night quite thoroughly.

Finally, Vala made it to Daniel's side, grinning grandly at him.

"You look stunning," he whispered. Her grin widened.

"So do you, darling," she replied in an undertone. Both of them turned to the priest who smiled warmly at them and opened his mouth to begin. However, a sound never came out of his throat. Daniel and Vala glanced at each other worriedly, confused. After a second they realized the priest was staring behind them and a murmur was rising from the guests. Slowly, they turned to see what had interrupted their wedding.

An old, bent-over woman stood in the isle. Her jet-black hair was in a tight bun though several loose stands hung down in her face. Her skin was wrinkled like a crumpled rag and her back was curved down painfully.

"Who _is_ she?" collective voices asked. It seemed no one knew.

But then the woman raised her head shakily. She met Daniel's gaze with weary, amber eyes briefly before staring into Vala's eyes.

"Mother," she croaked. Suddenly she folded over, crumbling to the floor in a heap.

Shocked silence filled the meadow until a woman scrambled out of the crowd of guests and to the old woman's side. Carolyn checked her vital signs and slumped.

"She's dead," she announced.

**Late That Night…**

"Okay, usually I would say this was impossible," Carolyn said, coming into the room where SG-1, General Landry, Jack and Ishta were waiting, "but the DNA is a perfect match."

"To who?" Jack asked as he undid his bowtie. Carolyn met his eyes with pursed lips.

"Adria."

"What?" Cam hissed.

"That would explain why she called you 'mother'," Daniel mused to Vala.

"What happened to her?" Landry inquired. Carolyn shrugged, looking mystified.

"I have no idea."

**00**

A week later, Daniel and Vala's wedding actually went through. The next day their honeymoon became postponed because of an Ori attack on the Alpha Base. It ended up being a short trip to Venice, Italy, interrupted by a call home because of an appearance by Ba'al.

The next year, General Landry fell ill and was hospitalized. He decided not to go back to work after being released and Jack finally came out of retirement as planned, taking back his old job as General. Hank Landry died of a heart attack almost a year later. Soon after, Carolyn and Cameron divorced.

Teal'c and Ishta had a baby girl they named Kiv'tya (Tya for short) and Sam and Jack had another baby, this time a boy named James. Vala was in a terrible car crash and, though she recovered well enough, she could no longer have children. In fact, Carolyn was pretty sure Vala had been about a moth into pregnancy when the accident had happened.

Four years into their marriage, an old, familiar dream returned to Daniel's subconscious. Seeing as Vala was still recovering over their loss, Daniel didn't bother her about it even though Vala could see something was bugging him.

But one night, Daniel awoke to Vala shaking him, eyes worried and afraid. And he realized he could keep it from her no longer.

A/N: Yes, it's short but a heck of a lot happened. So that's okay. Right? Right.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!


	3. Demon

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: Okay, I would like to say, I am sorry for killing Landry and giving Carolyn and Cam a divorce. If you ask me, they weren't going to last long anyway. She's too stiff for him in my opinion. Don't worry, Cam gets a happy ending. As for killing Landry...Jack needed a job and I like Jack better anyway. Sorry. Now...as for Daniel and Vala not being able to have kids...well...I don't know. I'm still working with that.

Chapter II

Demon

"Daniel! Daniel, wake up! C'mon, Daniel, you're scaring me! Wake up!"

"Uh!" Daniel's eyes flew open to see Vala bent over him, staring at him in frightened concern. "Vala! Wh—oh, my…"

"Wild guess: you were having a nightmare," Vala said, concern turning to a glare. "Another guess: you've been having it for a while and just haven't told me because of the accident. And another guess: it's something important. Prophetic, maybe. Or a memory. But something important."

Daniel blinked at her, still groggy enough that that whole speech took a moment to process.

"It's not important," he slurred, propping his elbow on his pillow to raise himself to Vala's level.

"_I'll_ be the judge of that," Vala declared, pissed. "The other guesses?"

Daniel's mouth twisted unhappily in reply. Vala's lips formed a thin line and Daniel internally winced, knowing he was about to get an ear-full.

"Okay, one: do you have any _idea_ how much you've been _scaring_ me? Huge, grey bags under your eyes, grey doesn't go very well with those emeralds just so you know, skipping meals to catch a few extra 'z's that you've been missing, strange mutterings in your sleep, sometimes you're not even _there_ when I wake up in the middle of the night and then just now you were thrashing around, _yelling _something about an 'Oci' and a…a…a _demon_, I think!

"And then whenever I ask you, or anyone else asks you for that matter, how you are or if you're feeling okay you just shrug and grunt though I can _see __something_ behind those emeralds of yours, Daniel. I just don't know what it is! Sam was surprised when I told her you weren't saying anything to me and I figured out _why_, didn't I?

"Daniel, I know _you're_ grieving _too_, I don't want you to bear _two_ loads while I'm only bearing _one_!"

"Vala, I—"

"Don't you _dare_ try and—"

"I'm _trying_ to explain to you what the _nightmare_ was about!" Daniel roared. Vala blinked, surprised.

"Oh."

The two locked gazes for a moment, one angrily (partially because he was _not_ a morning person…especially at one o'clock), the other shocked and waiting. However, a shuffling at their doorway distracted them.

"Mommy?"

Vala gave Daniel an exasperated glance before scurrying around the bed and over to four-year-old Jared, rubbing at his eyes miserably.

"I heard Danny yelling."

Daniel bristled. Somehow Jared had caught on to calling his father "Danny" as opposed to anything else. Perhaps it was the similarity to "Daddy" but Daniel always took it as the result of his little episode as Orionus.

"Yes, I know, Jared," Vala cooed gently, "but he's done know. C'mon. Let's go back to bed."

"I'm so _tired_, Mommy!" Jared whined, the beginnings of a tantrum starting to show.

"Yes, I know, Jared," Vala said, desperation in her voice. "That's why we need to get you back to bed."

"I'm so _tired_!" Jared insisted, tears flowing freely now. Vala suppressed a sigh and picked up the four-year-old with some difficulty.

"It's okay," she whispered soothingly, walking out the room and into the room that served as both the office and Jared's bedroom. "It's okay."

Daniel waited for a few minutes for Vala to return, berating himself for the millionth time for missing so much of Jared's introduction to life. Yes, Daniel had returned only a few days later in _their_ time but Vala hadn't exactly allowed him into the apartment until several months later, when he had proposed. Daniel didn't fee he was part of Jared's life…and the boy was only four. And then Daniel's thoughts would drift to Ettan (whom he hadn't seen since Adria kidnapped him) and the linguist would be thrown into an even worse bout of guilt.

Luckily, Vala returned at about that point, shaking her head as the yells of protest continued in Jared's room.

"Sometimes I wish he accepted you for help," she muttered, flopping onto the bed. Daniel decided not to comment.

After a moment, Vala sighed and turned her head towards him.

"So. You were saying…"

Daniel nodded. "First, I should tell you about Oci. I don't know why you heard _his_ name from me but…

"He was Orionus's right hand man."

"You," Vala interrupted. "_Your_ right hand man."

Daniel let it pass. "Oci Demaan was an extremely bright and handsome young man. He was enthusiastic and amazingly loyal. He practically did all the secretary work, such as scheduling, and all the security, for a while he was Orionus's personal bodyguard until the Ori left Atlantis."

"_Your_ personal bodyguard," Vala corrected. Daniel allowed himself a brief glare before continuing.

"Oci rarely ever left Orionus's side and _never_ did when Orionus was in public," he said.

"_Your_ side and when _you_ were in public."

"Vala, will you _stop_?!" Daniel erupted. Vala glared at him.

"You know, I don't _care_ if Jared doesn't accept your help, _you're_ putting him to bed this time if he wakes up."

"If you would stop _interrupting_ me—"

"If you would just _admit_ that you and Orionus are the same _person_!" Vala shot back.

"I will tell the story _my own way_," Daniel said firmly. "I don't have to tell you the nightmare if you don't like it."

Vala didn't reply as she simply stared at him rigidly. Daniel sighed, closing his eyes.

"Okay. Where was I?"

"Oci never left your side," Vala replied quietly. Daniel, again, let it pass.

"One of his distinguishing features was his eyes. They were this…freakish silver-white…kinda milky. Like he was blind. Except he wasn't." Daniel paused, green eyes staring into the past. "Oci Demaan was the first Prior of the Ori. And he was a good young man."

"Did he have a girl?" Vala asked curiously. Daniel frowned at her, trying to see the relevance. "Well, you said was handsome!"

"The girls pined over him, sure," Daniel answered. "And I wouldn't be surprised if he shared his bed with a few of them. But his life and love was Orionus, closely followed by the Ori."

"You came first, huh?" Vala mused. "Did 'Orionus' ever share _his_ bed?"

"Only with dreams," Daniel assured her. "Until he forbade them."  
"But then you gave up the Ori and now are having nightmares," Vala said, smoothly guiding the topic forward. Daniel nodded in agreement.

"You were right about it being a memory," he told her. "Heck, it might also be a prophecy. Which only makes it worse. But anywho.

"When I first came back, the guys were coming out of the cave that had had an old, dead _me_ in it, right?" Daniel began, making sure Vala knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah…why was that?"

"They found me?" he clarified, shrugging. "No clue. But going on. I went in, to check for myself, right?" At this point, he stopped, uncomfortable.

"And you wouldn't tell what you saw in the mission report," Vala added. "Landry got pretty mad, especially since last time it turned out had had a son."

"I'm not entirely sure _what_ it was I saw, Vala," Daniel explained. "All I know is it's huge. Furry. Dangerous. _Horridly_ smelly. And it knows I was there."

"Sounds like some sort of monster," Vala concluded. After a second of consideration: "Or demon."

"All I know is that, before I left, the Ori were planning some sort of defense mechanism, an animal of some kind," Daniel said slowly. "And I'd bet a year's pay that it's actually more a weapon than defense."

"But it's locked up in that cave thing, right?" Vala asked. "It's not getting out by itself."

"Not by itself," Daniel agreed. "But who knows when the Ori'll remember it and let it loose?

"Heck. They might've already done it."

A/N: Dun dun dun...

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	4. Daddy

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry this one took so long...I've been on a Harry Potter buzz. And Sirius Black has been demoted as my favorite character now...I'm head over heels and obsessed now with our very own Severus Snape...of course, I had to fall madly in love with him in the 7th book...during The Prince's Tale... sigh

Chapter III

Daddy

"All right. I'll see you later, okay?" Vala said as she and Daniel dropped Jared off at preschool. She gave Jared a quick peck on the forehead. "Love you."

"Buh-bye, Mommy!" Jared called as Vala walked back to the truck.

"Love you, Jared!" Daniel yelled from the driver's seat.

"Buh-bye, Danny!"

Vala hopped in the passenger's seat, eyeing Daniel's sour expression.

"It's cuz it's close to 'Daddy'," she told him. "You know that."

Daniel refused to reply.

**Later…**

"'Morning, Dr. Jackson," the security guard at the SGC entrance greeted. "'Morning, Mrs. Mal Doran."

"'Morning," they both replied, tucking their Ids back in their pockets.

"Oh!" the guard suddenly cried. "Dr. Jackson!"

Daniel turned around, frowning.

"There's a memo here…says you're supposed to go straight to General O'Neill."

"Does it happen to say why?" Daniel asked, confused. The guard shook his head.

"Nope."

**The General's Office…**

Vala had gone ahead to her office, leaving Daniel to go see what Jack wanted him for alone. Jack sat at his desk, head down and arms folded beneath. Daniel frowned, walking in quietly.

"Jack?"  
Jack's head jerked up, blinking wildly. Daniel's lips twitched in a smile.

"Were you…_sleeping_?"

Jack looked offended as he stood, brushing imaginary dust off his clothes.

"No," he declared. "I was resting."

"Uh-huh," Daniel said, thoroughly unconvinced. "What'dya want?"

Jack led him out the room. "I'll show you." As they walked, Jack explained a little more.

"He came through the 'gate last night at about midnight. I was still here, working on some stuff I should've done a _long_ time ago…ended up pulling an all-nighter because of his little appearance. Sam's gonna chew me out when she gets here but, hey. Not my fault."

"Who's 'he'?" Daniel asked, slightly amused by Jack's attitude change towards staying at work all night.

By now, they had reached one of the observation rooms. Jack looked pointedly through the window to the interrogation room.

"_We_ got nothing out of him…but maybe you could."

Daniel followed Jack's gaze to see a young boy sitting patiently at the large table. His eyes were crystal blue, the color Daniel's used to be. His hair was Daniel's brunette and had grown down to about his ears. He looked about seven or eight years old, though his manner was that of an adult.

"Besides the fact I thought maybe you should know," Jack added. Slowly, Daniel turned back to meet his friend's eyes.

"…Ettan?"

Jack nodded. Immediately, Daniel pushed past the general and ran down to the interrogation room, bursting through the door.

"Ettan!"

Ettan Jackson stood at his name and beamed at the sight of his father.

"Daddy!"

Daniel glowed. _That_ was the word he'd wanted to hear.

Ettan rushed to Daniel, enveloping him in a huge hug, Daniel not hesitating to return it.

"I've missed you, Daddy," Ettan said.

"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "You too."

Ettan withdrew, still beaming. "After Mother died, I—"

"How _did_ she die?" Daniel asked, gaze flicking to Jack as to signal he should start recording. Ettan looked surprised.

"Of old age!" he answered, as if it were obvious.

"Ettan, she wasn't even a year older than _you_!" Daniel pointed out. Ettan frowned.

"You really don't know, do you?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Mother requested of the Ori increased power, such as being able to transport to places in a very small matter of time and, well, controlling those whose blood she shared, but, in return, sacrificed her life."

"Why'd she do _that_?"

"She still wanted to kill you at that time," Ettan replied, smiling like he found that funny. "After she found out you're _Orionus_…well, she kinda lost all motivation in life. She died a couple months after that."

"Yeah," Daniel said quietly, remembering. "I know." After a pause: "What've you been doing since then?"

"I took command of the Ori army," Ettan answered proudly. Daniel blinked, all of his previous joy gone.

"You _what_?!"

"I took Mother's place," Ettan said, not understanding his father's reaction.

"You're seven years old!" Daniel protested. "You can't possibly—"  
"As you just pointed out, Mother wasn't even a year older than me and she commanded the army!" Ettan argued, an unfamiliar red glint in his clear blue eyes.

"She was _created_ for that purpose! You weren't!"

"I was created in lust, wasn't I?" Ettan's tone was dark and quiet…it scared Daniel more than his son's words. The boy was seven! But his next words were worse: "_I_ was an accident."

"Ettan…" Daniel said, trying to coax the child he knew back.

"Daniel," Jack's voice said gently over the com. "Meet me in the hall."

Daniel nodded dumbly, his eyes not leaving Ettan's. He turned slowly, regretfully, but stopped at the door when Ettan spoke again.

"Have you heard, Father?"

Daniel looked back over his shoulder, shuddering at the iciness of the address. Ettan grinned at Daniel slightly and the linguist thought he could see the familiar excited yet destructive gleam in his son's gaze.

"Sirius has been let loose. This galaxy will soon fall. Then we'll move on and conquer the entire universe."

Daniel took a contemplative moment before answering. "The universe is infinite, Ettan."

The dangerous glint brightened. "So is the power of the Ori. Father."

A/N: ACK!!!!!!!!! Ettan's being CREEPY!!!!!!!!! ;p

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!


	5. Pop Culture References

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: WHERE IS EVERYBODY?!?!?! I only got 60 hits on the last chapter!!!! sniffle I feel lonely...

Okay, apologies to J.K. Rowling, the creators of Men In Black, the creators of Looney Toons and the creators of Farscape. Oh, and cyber-kudos to anyone who can tell me the more subtle Farscape reference…and the episode it's from. ;p

Chapter IV

Pop Culture References

"Uh…who…or _what_ is Sirius?" Jack asked out in the hall. Daniel glanced at the now closed door before meeting Jack's gaze.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But I have an idea."

"Lemme guess," Jack yawned, rubbing at his eyelids. "You're gonna do some research?"

Daniel smiled tightly. "How'd ya know?"

**That Evening...**

"Pulling an all-nighter?" Jack asked at Daniel's doorway. Daniel glanced up from his computer screen.

"Yeah, Vala left a few hours ago. Needed to pick up Jared."  
"How's it comin'?" Jack said, walking in closer.

"Pretty good actually," Daniel replied, pushing up his glasses. "You see, Sirius is a constellation…"

"Hey, save it for tomorrow. We'll gather the team, 'kay?"

Daniel nodded, immediately back to his research.

**The Next Morning…**

"You see, Sirius is a constellation. A dog. Now, that much I knew but—"

"W-wait a minute," Cam interrupted Daniel, waving a hand aimlessly. "I thought Sirius was from Harry Potter."

"I _love_ Sirius Black!" Vala exclaimed. "Though...I like Snape better." Daniel frowned at the two of them.

"Well…Sirius Black can change into a black dog, right?" he asked. Vala nodded enthusiastically. "That's most likely where Rowling got it from. Anywho.

"In Greek mythology, Sirius is the dog of the hunter, Orion."

"As in Orion's Belt?" Cam clarified.

"From Men In Black?" Sam asked. Cam nodded. Daniel's mouth twisted.

"Kinda. The Orion in that's actually a cat, but the constellation is mentioned. Going on…

"Now, remember the cave? The one that had me in it?"

Everyone nodded uneasily. Daniel sighed heavily, leaning in to explain.

"A monster's in there now. Some animal that the Ori were planning to create right as I left…and they locked it up near Atlantis because the Atlantians were the ones they hated the most. They'd be the first to go when it was let loose."

"And how do these connect?" Jack asked. "I don't know if I'm the only one who's completely confused at this point…"

"The monster's Sirius!" Daniel exclaimed, surprised. Vala frowned.

"I thought you told me you didn't know _what_ the thing was, Daniel."

"I didn't! But, really. It's completely obvious! Ori, _Ori_on."

"Orionus," Teal'c added. Daniel nodded.

"Exactly! The Ori got their name from the name Orionus, how much do you want to bet they got the name _Orion_ from Orionus as well?"

"Wait, the Ori have an Orion as well?" Cam asked, frowning. Daniel shook his head.

"I'm talking about the Greeks. And, get this. Orion's been all over the place!" Daniel said excitedly. "Or the Ori, in other words. You see? 'The constellation Orion'," he began to read, "'was regarded as a giant not only in Greece but in Syria, Arabia, and Palestine; in Ireland and among the Mayas it is a warrior; in _Egypt_ it is identified with Horus, the young sun, in the solar boat; and in Babylonia with Merodad, or Nimrod the mighty hunter.'"

"'Nimrod'?" Jack echoed. "Isn't that an insult? Like idiot?"

Daniel nodded. "But it also means hunter. You can look it up in the dictionary if you don't believe me."

"Oh, I believe you," Jack said quickly. "I just don't see how the two connect."

Daniel smiled. "You'll like this, actually. 'The American Heritage Dictionary offers two distinct definitions of a nimrod…' blah blah blah…ah! 'The second meaning probably originated with the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. The wily Bugs used the term in its original sense to refer to dithering hunter Elmer Fudd, whom he called a "poor little Nimrod." Over time, however, the "hunter" meaning got dropped, and the "dithering" connotation stuck."

Jack grinned. "You're right. I _do_ like that."

"Isn't that the rabbit from Looney Toons?" Vala clarified. "With the coyote and the roadrunner?"

Daniel glanced at her. "Well, yeah…"

"You know, I started to root for the coyote after a while," Sam admitted. Cam looked horridly offended.

"No!" he exclaimed. "How _could_ you?!"

Sam looked surprised. "I-I-I'm sorry…" she stuttered, startled.

"The roadrunner is _awesome_!" Cam proclaimed. He grinned. "_Meep, meep._"

Daniel sighed. "Can we stop it with all the pop culture references, please? I'm trying to explain something here."

"Go on," Jack insisted, trying to hide a smile. Daniel glared at him.

"Interesting note about Nimrod: at least one source claimed his game of choice was not animals…but _men_, who he would _enslave_ upon capture," Daniel said slowly, giving the team meaningful looks. "Sound familiar?"

"Sounds like the Ori, we get that already, go on," Cam pushed.

"What's Orion's story?" Sam asked.

"Well, he's got several," Daniel admitted. "One, he had a thing for the daughter of Oenopion, Merope or Aëro, so, as a bride price for her, killed all the wild beasts of Chios, where Oenopion lived but Oenopion decides not to give his daughter to him, so Orion got drunk and raped her. Oenopion finds out, blinds Orion, who then goes on this big long journey to regain his sight. In some versions, Eos falls in love with him and convinces her brother, the sun god, to regain his sight, some he does it on his own.

"One of the more common stories is the one with Artemis and Apollo. Artemis was one of the daughters of Zeus and so on and happened to be a huntress…one of the type who never missed target and such. She also happened to have made a vow to stay a virgin her entire existence. But then she met Orion, whom she fell in love with and, well, almost broke her vow. Her twin brother, Apollo, wasn't exactly thrilled with that idea, so, one day, as Orion is swimming through a river with only his head above the water, from a distance, Apollo points out that target and bets his sister she can't hit it. She does, of course, and is horrified later to find out she killed Orion.

"Another one of the stories is sometimes weaved into those other two, but for the purposes of not getting too confusing—"

"Already failed at that," Cameron muttered.

"—I'll tell it as a completely different story. At one point, Orion gets a little cocky and boasts that he can slay every beast on Earth. Earth, or Gaia, or Mother Nature, whatever you want to call her, doesn't like that idea, so creates a new beast to kill Orion. This beast is the scorpion, or Scorpius."

"Isn't he a constellation too?" Jack asked. Daniel nodded, opening his mouth to continue before being cut off.

"I believe he is also associated with Scorpio from the zodiac," Teal'c added. Daniel nodded again, mouth opening only to be interrupted once more.

"I thought Scorpius was that creepy guy from Farscape," Vala argued. Daniel glared at her.

"And I thought I said no more pop culture references!"

Vala raised her hands defensively. "Sorry!"

"Anywho. In some stories, the scorpion is a giant; in some it's just a normal scorpion. But either way, it defeats Orion in the end."

It was silent for a moment before Jack leaned forward onto the table. "So…we're supposed to kill the Ori with a scorpion?"

Daniel closed his eyes, sighed. "Figuratively."

"So you don't really know _what_ exactly we're supposed to do," Jack concluded. Daniel shook his head.

"Not at this point, no. I'm working on it."

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "All right. Keep working. Tell me when you got more."

A/N: Anjirika, I would like to let you know at this point, that I had actually been planning to name Daniel Orion instead of Orionus…but Orion and Daniel have completely different characters, so I decided against that. So I was really amazed when you gave me a way to put the mythology of Orion into this and I am indebted to you for that! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! (Now do you understand?)

Oh, and don't forget about the cyber-kudos! (For the more SUBTLE Farscape reference.)

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Normal

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: Okay, so this whole "Sirius" thing is seriously started to bug me (no pun intended ;p ). You know, with my HP spazz and all.  
Gah.

And I'm kinda disappointed. Only one person got the subtle Farscape reference...I don't think HAZMOT even reviewed that chapter at all and I was totally counting on you to see it, with your name and all.

Chapter V

Normal

"Hey, Daniel?" Vala called from Daniel's desk.

"Hm?" Daniel replied, not looking up from his computer.

"Wasn't this the thing that led us to Henwies?"

Daniel looked up to what she was talking about. Vala was holding up a small tablet with obscure writing on it. Daniel squinted at it.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It looks…different," Vala said slowly. Daniel got up and walked over to her side, frowning at the tablet. Then he turned his frown to Vala.

"How would you know?"

Vala rolled her eyes. "I hang out with you too much, you _know_ I've picked up quite a lot."

"Well…yeah…" Daniel said slowly. "You're right. It _is_ a little different. Still 'The City of the Undead is where the…' _something_ 'lies' with Iarad after it but…not secret anymore."

"Well, what is it now?" Vala asked curiously.

"Gimme a moment…you have any idea where my old notes are?"

"The ones for this tablet?" Vala clarified. "Yeah, they were with the tablet." She turned back to Daniel's desk, grabbed a few sheets of notebook paper and handed them to the linguist who had turned his head to frown at his wife.

"Where'd you find this? And why?"

Vala shrugged. "Happened on it. I was bored, so was looking through old stuff you'd translated. That one caught my eye. Then I noticed it was different."

"Huh," Daniel mused and set to work, Vala watching excitedly over his shoulder. After a moment, he drew back, concern in his furrowed brow.

"What?" Vala asked, noticing his expression. "What's it say?"

"'The City of the Undead is where the _weapon_ lies'," Daniel read, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. Vala recoiled slightly, surprised.

"_Weapon_?" she echoed. "What sort of a weapon?"

Daniel shook his head, too worried to get annoyed. "No clue. I'm just hoping it doesn't mean Sirius."

"I thought Sirius was at Atlantis," Vala pointed out.

"Yes, but Ettan said Sirius'd been let loose," Daniel argued gently. "Of course, then that would generally mean he's wandering or whatever…"

"So it could be our 'scorpion'?" Vala suggested. Daniel held her eyes, considering what she had just said.

"Yeah…"

"So we should probably check this out?" she continued eagerly.

"_You_ still have physical therapy," Daniel told her sternly. "And there's Jared to consider."

"Yeah, but Sam'd be going, wouldn't she?" Vala said desperately. "And she's got Rose _and_ James."

"But Jack would be staying," Daniel pointed out. "And Ishta could take care of Tya," he continued when Vala opened her mouth to argue again. The former con artist's mouth snapped shut unhappily as she glared at her husband.

"The physical therapy is pointless at the point," Vala argued stubbornly. "It's all in my head."

"Even _more_ reason for you stay home!" Daniel exclaimed, slightly amused at her efforts. "If you're _head's_ messed up—"

"My head's not 'messed up'," Vala bit testily. "And seeing Henwies again plus going on a mission would get my mind off things."

Daniel glared at her, a small smile playing on his lips. After a few seconds, Vala noticed it.

"What?!" she demanded. Finally, the smile took over and Daniel shook his head, closing his eyes.

"You're coming back," he told her happily. Vala frowned.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Ever since the accident you've been…different. Quite. Sad," Daniel explained. "Scared me half to death. That's…well, why I didn't want to bother you with that nightmare."

"You idiot," Vala muttered. Daniel laughed.

"And that just proves further that you're coming back," he exclaimed. "You're right. Maybe a mission will help complete the job. And seeing Henwies again wouldn't hurt."

Vala grinned blindingly. "You serious?"

Daniel squinted at her. "No, I'm not a demon dog."

Vala blinked confusedly for a moment before glaring at him. "Dork."

Daniel laughed again, planting a hard kiss on her forehead. "Yes, I'm serious. Let's go talk to Jack."

**The Briefing Room…**

"Okay, so I'm confused," Jack said, stopping Daniel from continuing. "How'd the writing on the tablet change?"

Daniel shrugged. "I have no idea whatsoever."

Jack eyed him critically, and then jerked his head Vala's direction. "And you want her to come along? I thought she still had therapy goin'."

Daniel sighed. "Physically, she's perfectly fine, Jack."

"Thank you very much!" Vala exclaimed, wounded.

"Mentally?" Jack questioned.

"I'm right here!"

"Going on a mission will help get her mind off things," Daniel told his friend. "And, as you might have noticed," he went on, giving his wife a glance, "she's on her way back to normal."

"On her way?" Jack echoed under his breath. "Seems to me she's already there."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Vala demanded. Daniel and Jack laughed.

"Exactly!"

Vala squinted at them both menacingly.

**The Next Day…**

As the team was getting ready to leave, Daniel found Jack alone and cornered him.

"Do one thing for me while we're gone," Daniel said, voice quiet. Jack frowned, confused.

"What?"

"Let Ettan go."

Jack blinked wildly, incredulously. "Are you _kidding_ me? He's in charge of the Ori _army_, Daniel! I'm letting him go!!"

"He's also my _son_, Jack," Daniel pointed out. "Just let him go. Please."

"Daniel, he's dangerous."

"He's my _son_!" Daniel exclaimed. Jack simply pressed his lips in a thin, disapproving line. Daniel sighed, closing his eyes. "Please, Jack. I'll take full responsibility if it turns out to be a bad idea."

"It's _already_ a bad idea!" Jack argued. "What would the IOA, the President, or any of those people who give me stupid orders say if they found out we had the _leader_ of the _Ori army_ in custody and _let him go_?!"

"You could say he escaped!"

"How?!" Jack yelled. "He's seven years old!"

Daniel didn't reply except to gaze at his friend pleadingly. "Jack…"

"Oh good heavens," Jack muttered exasperately. "I _invented_ puppy dog eyes, just for your information."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Oh please," he scoffed before turning serious again. "C'mon Jack. For me."

Jack stared at the younger man unhappily for a while, his mouth twisting.

"We'll see."

A/N: YAY!!!!!! We get to Henwies again!!!!!!

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!


	7. Different

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: In case it hadn't caught your attention, I've finally come up with a series/trilogy name: THE INTERFERENCE TRILOGY.

Chapter VI

Different

"By the gods, they're back!" a familiar jolly voice cried out as SG-1 walked into the inn. Henwies bustled up to them, positively glowing with excitement. "It's Bob, Sally, Joe, Jane, and George: my favorite ever costumers! They're back! This is a glorious day, it should be written down…"

"_Still_ your favorite costumers?" Daniel asked, looking amused and surprised. "It's been five years, Henwies!"

Henwies blushed slightly, ducking his head. "Yeah, well…some things change, some things don't. I assume you're looking for a few rooms to stay in?" he asked, eyes shining brightly with hope.

"Indeed," Teal'c answered.

"That is, of course, if you have room," Sam added hastily. "We noticed Iarad's grown quite a bit since we were here last."

"Oh, oh, I have room!" Henwies assured her. "I _always_ have room for you five! Have you eaten dinner yet? I've found a few new recipes in the past five years that you absolutely _must_ taste, they're positively scrumptious!"

"That sounds wonderful," Cam told the innkeeper happily.

"We've missed your cooking," Vala added, bouncing. Henwies blushed again.

"Oh, why that's sweet of you." Then, suddenly business-like, he ushered them to an open table and hurried to whip something up for them to eat.

**A Couple Hours Later…**

"It's getting late," Daniel commented, peering out the window next to him. "We should probably head to bed."

"Hey, that rhymes!" Vala exclaimed, giggling insanely. Daniel rolled his eyes at her. Henwies had actually managed to find a drink with so much alcohol that even Vala couldn't hold it. Luckily, she had been the only one who had drank more than a single sip…everyone else had found it a little too over-powering.

"Yeah, probably," Cam agreed, giving Vala a sideways look. "Can't wait for how _she'll_ turn out in the morning."

Daniel grimaced. Sam turned to Henwies, who had come to clear away their dishes.

"We're gonna turn in, Henwies," she told him. "Where're our rooms?"

Henwies froze as he picked up Teal'c's plate before setting it gently on the stack of dishes in his other hand and straightening slightly.

"Uh…same as before," he replied, avoiding their eyes. Everyone, save Vala (who was playing with Daniel's zippers on his vest), stared at the round innkeeper.

"You…saved our rooms for us?" Sam asked slowly. Henwies nodded silently.

"For five years?" Cam added. Henwies nodded again.

"Why?" Teal'c inquired. Henwies sighed, finally looking up to meet their gazes.

"I _like_ you all!" he exclaimed. "You know you're my favorite customers!"

"Yes, but—" Daniel stopped momentarily to yank Vala's hand away from his pants' zipper. "Isn't that bad for business?"

Henwies shrugged. "I suppose, yes. But it feels wrong to let anyone else sleep in those rooms."

"Okay, one question," Cam said suddenly, closing his eyes as he tried to figure something out. "Why're we you're favorite customers? I mean, what did we do?"

Henwies shrugged again. "Dunno, really. I don't think it was something you _did_ as opposed to what you _are_."

"And what are we?" Sam pushed softly. Henwies shrugged once more, looking as baffled as the team felt.

"I dunno!" he insisted. "Different. Somehow. I think…well, everyone else I see here in Iarad…you lot have a different air. A different feel. Like…like you'll never give up. I dunno how I know that, but…it seems to me that you'll never bow to someone. You're all your own individuals. You'll stick to yourself and your friends no matter what. You're just…_different_."

Those of the team who weren't drunk gave each other meaningful looks. Henwies had seen something that would completely give away the fact they _didn't_ believe in the Ori…yet didn't know what exactly it was. They weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad.

But, of course, they supposed they would find out soon enough.

**Late That Night…**

Vala had fallen asleep quickly enough, which Daniel was rather glad about (her behavior had started to get really annoying). However, Daniel was finding it difficult to go to sleep himself. His request to Jack earlier that day was starting to sound like not such a good idea as it had before, yet on the other hand, he could feel irritation boiling up inside of him at the possibility of Jack not actually letting Ettan go. Also, what Henwies had said about SG-1 being different was determined to be a bug in his ear. Part of him was afraid the jolly innkeeper would figure out that they really weren't innocent Ori explorers, while another part of him was thrilled that there was that much of an obvious difference between him and the Ori followers…It proved only further to himself that he and Orionus were completely different people.

Eventually all these conflicting thoughts in his head became a mix of jumble and the effort of trying to sort them out turned out to take too much energy, so Daniel finally slept into an uneasy sleep.

**00**

Daniel found himself waking up in he and Vala's bed, like one would expect, except tied down. He struggled against the bonds automatically, but found that, of course, they were too tight and well tied for his efforts to do any good at all. So he ceased struggling and kept still, examining the room and wondering what had happened to Vala and who had bound him. He hoped if the same person who had tied him had Vala somewhere that she was giving him hell. Then he remembered the cause of her behavior last night and realized the worst she could probably do at this point was up-chuck on the guy. Daniel chuckled quietly to himself at that sight.

The door creaked open and in stepped a short figure, turning to stare at Daniel with a smile that reminded the archeologist all too much of Adria whenever she had been in the act of trying to kill him. Who the person turned out to be only made it worse.

"Ettan?"

Ettan's smirk widened. "Father."

**00**

Daniel couldn't believe the stink of this place. It was dark, dank and just over-all creepy. He could barely see the outline of a large; breathing figure, confirming what he had suspected was in here. Its fur was pitch black and Daniel could make out the faint image of discolored claws and fangs. It's breath was heavy, stinking up the cave more and more with every exhale. It's shaggy hide filled up most of the room, leaving Daniel a little too close for comfort to the beast.

And then an eye opened less than a foot away from Daniel's face. Its silver-white glow squinted at the intruder. A burst of adrenaline rushed through his system and Daniel whirled, rushing through the stone.

**00**

"Daniel, I swear, if you do not wake up at this very instant, I am going to heave all over your sexy body. Which would be a shame, really. Then it wouldn't really be that sexy anymore."

The fear welling up inside of Daniel vanished as he chuckled slightly, opening his eyes unwillingly to see Vala leaning over him, her face a very interesting shade of green.

"Okay, I'm awake," he told her. "Now go barf somewhere else."

Vala nodded without argument and quickly ran to the bathroom. Daniel winced at the lovely sounds that greeted his ears at that point and smiled at her tightly when she came back, looking slightly better around the gills.

"Your fault for drinking so much of that stuff last night," he told her accusingly. Vala only glared at him.

"You were dreaming again," she commented. Daniel sighed and nodded.

"Same dream?" she asked. Daniel nodded again.

"Well. At least now we know what the demon is," she said, trying to look at the bright side. Daniel cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah. Sure."

A/N: (giggles) Vala cracks me up.


	8. Huisa

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter VII

Huisa

"So, how's she doin'?" Cam asked in an undertone as the team left Iarad to the City of the Undead. Daniel glanced at him before looking to the woman in question, who was unhappily bringing up the rear.

"Fine, I guess," he replied. "At least it seems like it…for the amount she drank!"

"Kinda quiet, though," Cam commented. Daniel shrugged.

"Probably doesn't want to open in her mouth in fear of up-chucking again."

Cam snickered softly. "Can't blame her."

"So…how are we planning to find this weapon?" Sam asked from behind the two men. Daniel turned to glance at her, shrugging.

"Don't know yet."

"I believe we're flying by the seats of our pants at this point," Cam added.

"We might be transported somewhere, like last time," Daniel hypothesized, "but, the last time we came here we didn't even turn into ghosts, so, really, we have no idea what's going to happen."

"There it is," Teal'c announced. Everyone turned to look ahead of them to see the magnificent city with the lone mountain right in the middle of it. Daniel could feel the old excitement he had first felt about this place bubbling up inside of him as he quickly rushed closer. Maybe this time he'd have the chance to explore.

**Almost An Hour Later…**

"Wild guess: we're not gonna be turning into ghosts," Cam said irritably. Daniel shrugged.

"Looks like it. We might as well explore."

Cam raised an eyebrow at him. "You're just saying that cuz you want to figure out the history of this place, aren't you?"

Daniel shrugged again, grinning. "Maybe. But what else is there to do? We gotta find this weapon, Cam."

Cameron sighed. "Fine."

"There's nothing to explore out here," Sam pointed out. "No signs that there ever was civilization except for the buildings."

"What about the mountain?" Vala asked quietly. Daniel looked at her, surprised.

"She's got a point," Daniel agreed. "The mountain's obviously hollow…"

Cam jerked his head at the mountain. "All right then. Let's go."

**In The Mountain…**

"Oh great…" Cam muttered under his breath. Daniel hurried to the colonel's side to see what he was grumbling about. The linguist's eyes lit up, accompanied by an eager grin.

"Look at that!" he exclaimed. "These walls are full of writing…probably history! And…" He peered closer at the transcriptions. "It's the same language as the tablet!"

Cam sighed. "Well, Jackson, I suppose you've found what _you'll_ be busy with. Teal'c, you're with me. Sam, Vala, you two go together. Stay in radio contact."

Daniel was already immersed in translating as the four other split up and went separate directions. Sam glanced sideways at Vala after a while, unnerved at the woman's silence.

"You're awfully quiet," she commented. "I thought Daniel said you were coming back."

Vala shrugged. "Probably just the stupid drink messin' with my head."

Sam nodded, waiting. After a few seconds, Vala finally spoke again.

"Sam…how…how did you deal with it?"

Sam glanced at her friend. "Deal with what?" she asked, having the feeling she knew perfectly well what the ex-con was talking about.

"Not…being able to have children."

Sam winced. She had been right. "Well…Jack and I had already decided it would be best not to, at least for the time being, because of work. And after he died…well, it didn't really matter anymore. I don't know. The situation didn't really make it so it was really that hard to deal with. Unlike you."

Vala nodded silently, staring at the ground in front of her.

"Hey," Sam said, nudging Vala gently. "At least you have Jared, right?"

Vala shrugged. "Yeah. I guess…it'd just be nice to have a kid who Daniel didn't feel—"

"Sh!" Sam interrupted suddenly, frowning down the hall. "Do you hear something?"

Vala's brow furrowed and she listened. "Yeah…"

"It sounds like…"

"Singing," Vala finished.

**Meanwhile…**

Simply, Daniel was having the time of his life. The transcription was turning out to be a complete history of the city. Apparently, the true name of it was Huisa, which Daniel figured out to closely related to the Dutch word for "home". The city had been a peaceful place and as he progressed further through the timeline, he was surprised to note that it seemed to have died not by it's own fault and fairly recently. And by recently he meant within the last couple decades.

Sighing tiredly, Daniel brushed gently against the wall, trying to clean off some sort of discoloration or dirt that was distorting the script. He frowned when he felt a groove on the wall and slowly traced it with his fingertips. He found it formed almost a perfect rectangle and rested the palm of his hand in the middle, took a deep breath and pushed. The stone fell through and revealed a small alcove in the wall, a shining white orb resting in the center. Hesitantly, Daniel reached out and touched the white stone. Suddenly, the light emitting from the sphere brightened and seemed to stretch out to encompass the archeologist. After a moment, the light drew away, back to the stone and Daniel lay slumped, unconscious against the wall.

A/N: Dun dun dun dun...


	9. Aya & Nori

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: Don't own _In Dreams_ from LOTR: FOTR.

ALSO!!! BIG BIG NEWS!!!! PLEASE READ THIS!!! I have finally gotten an account on an art place, deviantART. My name's the same, except no space, and there are two pieces of art, so far, that relate to this trilogy!!!

ONE: Vala's Wedding Dress, from the beginning of MYTH.

TWO: Orionus Desalo, the picture of Daniel in the Book of Origin, from both AFTERMATH and ORIGIN. And, who knows at this point, maybe even from MYTH!!

I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!

You know what, I'm also kinda ticked, peps. The past two chapters haven't gotten over 100 hits yet! And I realize that that's not any of YOUR guys' fault, seeing as you're here, but what the heck is going on??? I FEEL LONELY!! (BTW, the reviews have been wonderful, thank you to everyone, please keep it up, I LOVE YOU ALL!!)

Chapter VIII

Aya & Nori

_"It sounds like…"_

_"Singing," Vala finished._

The two friends crept closer to the sound, listening intently to the sad melody.

"When the cold of winter comes

"Starless night will cover day.

"In the veiling of the sun

"We will walk in bitter rain.

"But in dreams I can hear your names.

"But in dreams we will meet again—

"Oh!" The young girl who had been singing turned the corner towards Sam and Vala. "Hello!"

She looked about six or seven years old and her face held a large grin. Her eyes were a very plain grey-blue but the youthful sparkle in them was anything _but_ plain. Her hair was long, halfway down her back, and a dark brunette. It was neatly tied back in a loose braid, the wayward strands tucked behind her ears.

And she was transparent.

"My name's Aya. What's yours?"  
A child like this couldn't be a threat! …Even though it seemed she was a ghost…

"Uh…my name's Samantha," Sam replied. She gestured towards the woman next to her. "And this is Vala."

"You're not dead, are you?" Aya said, more of a statement than a question. Sam and Vala glanced at each other.

"No…you are?" Vala asked. Aya nodded enthusiastically.

"Aya!" a worried cry rang out. Around the corner ran a young woman, somewhere in her late-twenties, early-thirties. She skidded to a stop, almost running into the younger girl, her eyes fixed on Vala and Sam with wary surprise. Vala waggled her fingers at the woman.

"Hi. I'm Vala, this is Sam…antha."

"Nori, Nori, Nori, Nori, _they're_ still alive!" Aya exclaimed, grabbing the woman's hand and jumping up and down. Nori nodded stiffly, eyes still fixed on Sam and Vala.

"I know, Aya."

Aya turned her attention back to the other women, beaming. "This is my sister. We died five years ago."

Vala's lips twitched and Sam coughed. Ah, the bluntness of youth. But at the same time, part of what the young child had said disturbed Sam.

"_Five_ years ago?" she echoed. She met Nori's stare. "Did you live here?"

Nori shook her head, as if breaking out of a trance, and smiled apologetically.

"Yes."

"I-I-I'm sorry, but we came here five years ago…no one lived here," Vala argued gently.

"I'm supposing you came soon after Iarad started to build," Nori said, as if asking a question. Sam and Vala both nodded. "We were killed immediately before the production of Iarad began."

"Killed?" Vala repeated.

"How?" Sam asked. Nori smiled awkwardly, ducking her head.

"You might not believe us, but your Orici, Adria, killed us," Nori explained. "She came to our city and preached Origin to us, with the threat to kill us if we didn't convert. Huisa was a very diverse city, so we refused. Some of us _did_ end up following her in the end but…"

"Momma and Daddy followed her," Aya added. Nori winced slightly and Sam guessed she had been planning to leave that part out.

"Yes. But _I_ wouldn't believe _any_ religion that converts with threats."

"What about her?" Sam asked gently, with a nod to the lively child. "She must've been…one? Two?"

"I wanted to stay with Nori," Aya declared, clinging onto her sister's hand again.

"So Adria killed those of you who didn't bow to the Ori?" Vala concluded. Nori nodded.

"I don't blame you if you don't believe—"

"No, we completely believe you," Vala assured her. "Adria was my daughter."

Nori and Aya's eyes widened. "Then you must feel we got what we—"

"No!" Vala interrupted her quickly. "I do not believe in Origin, I was burned at the stake once because of them, we _hate_ the Ori!"

Nori looked confused. "But if their Orici is your daughter…"

Vala rolled her eyes, nodding. "And their founder is my husband…heck, I actually have _another_ husband (who I never see) who's a devote Ori warrior. It's all very complicated."

"So…why'd you turn into ghosts when you died?" Sam asked after Nori saw she was _not_ going to process all that Vala had just said.

"Don't _you_ become ghosts if you have a vengeance to fulfill?" Aya asked. Vala realized Nori must've drilled that concept into the young girl's mind: it sounded too mature for something a child such as her would say.

"No…we don't _believe_ in ghosts where we're from," Sam replied slowly. "Looks like we've been proven wrong, though."

Nori smiled. "_That's_ your problem. You must believe."

**Meanwhile…**

"Woolsey, I _trust_ Daniel's judgment!" Jack was yelling angrily. The bald, weasely-looking man didn't budge.

"However, Dr. Jackson is the same one who became a _Prior_ of the Ori eight years ago!" Richard Woolsey argued. "He is _also_ the _Founder_ of Origin!"

"First, you are exactly correct," Jack bit back, "that was _eight years_ ago! Second, Daniel and Orionus are two completely different people!"

"That is not _you_ talking, General O'Neill, that is Dr. Jackson," Woolsey pointed out. Jack shook his head.

"No, no, no, it's _me_ talking!" he exclaimed, jabbing his finger at himself. "Daniel's off-world, he _couldn't_ have been talking right there!"

Woolsey blinked blankly for a moment before growling, irritated. "The point _is_," he grumbled, "the IOA will _not_ allow you to simply just _release_ such a valuable prisoner as Ettan Jackson! Besides, being his father (which in itself is another questionable matter), Dr. Jackson would be biased anyway!"

Jack rolled his eyes and stood up, using his height to tower over the bald, little man. "The point _is_, I don't _care_ what the IOA wants, _I'm_ releasing Ettan."

A/N: Why? Because he trusts Daniel. Just thought I'd re-state that.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!


	10. Explanations

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: HAZMOT, you know those explanations you've been waiting for? Well…look at that chapter title…

Chapter IX

Explanations

"Merlin!" Daniel exclaimed. Then he frowned. "Or is it Mryddyn?"

The two men stood in a pure white area…in fact; they could've been floating save the hard surface Daniel could feel his feet resting on. The whiteness seemed to stretch on forever and only brightened when the Ancient smiled.

"Whichever you prefer. I am from only shortly after you left, however, if that is what you meant."

Daniel nodded, staring, as if waiting for the older man to continue.

"So…what's up? This a dream?" He paused, thinking. "Something screwed up with the timeline again?"

Merlin smiled again and shook his head. "Luckily, no. I am here to tell you something you should've figured out by now."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. "What?"

"Remember in the myth of Orion, Earth sent the scorpion to kill the hunter?"

Daniel nodded unsurely. "Well, yeah…"

"We—er, _I_, at least, am sending you and your friends," Merlin told him. "Seeing as we Ancients are not allowed to interfere—" (Daniel bristled angrily at that) "—_you_ must deal with the threat of the Ori."

"Wait…so _we_, SG-1, are the scorpion?" Daniel clarified slowly. Merlin shrugged.

"Anymore I cannot tell you. The rest you must figure out on your own."

Daniel considered this for a moment. "Will you answer a few questions I have?"  
Merlin frowned. "Depends on the questions."

Daniel took that as a yes. "Okay, first, why is the tablet that led us here, to Iarad and Huisa, why is it…well, a tablet? Ancient? How did Catherine Langford get a hold of it if Iarad…I mean, we hadn't even _known_ the Ori _existed_ when she died!"

"_I_ was the one who wrote it," Merlin explained with a willing smile. "I needed to lead you to the uniqueness of this place so you would find Q."

"So I'm guessing you _changed_ it from 'secret' to 'weapon' also?" Daniel made sure. Merlin nodded. "Okay, another question: how come…why…" The linguist shifted uncomfortably. "How come, while Orionus was in the Ori galaxy, it wasn't Sirius in the cave but…Orionus?"

"Firstly, I believe you should come to grips with yourself that you and Orionus are the same person, you simply made a mistake."

Like usual, Daniel refused to comment on that controversy. Merlin sighed.

"As to answer your question: the path you were currently taking would've led to that future. You were _supposed_ to have gone home with Vala, after all, she had just had your son, but you hadn't. I had no choice at that point but to interfere."

"And…if he was dead…" Daniel went on slowly, "how come his body was frozen?"

"I believe that was done by your request, as well as the three sentences next to you." Merlin smiled at him again. "Anything else?"

Daniel nodded, a hand on his temple. "Yeah, yeah, just…okay, what was up with my picture in the Book of Origin? Adria said she'd _tried_ to take it out, but it always came back. And the stories of Orionus weren't there until later."

Merlin's smile widened. "Again, that was _my_ doing. I was trying to warn you of the potential danger…however, you obviously did not understand."

"Well, it would've helped if I had had the _entire_ page!" Daniel defended. Merlin shrugged.

"A problem I had not foreseen."

"And…and…how did Orionus staying in the past change Q's time?" Daniel asked. "I mean—"

"Again, the path you were traveling down had changed the course of things. You know you could travel time, like I can. You went to Q's time and converted Earth yourself. It was fairly easy, seeing as they recognized you."

Daniel was silent for a long time as he let all of this new information soak in. At exactly the right time, Merlin spoke once more.

"While all of this answers questions long since past, the more important thing is what I told you at first," he said gravely. "You now have the scorpion, Dr. Jackson. What are you going to do with it?"

**00**

Daniel jolted awake, his mouth still opening with a sarcastic retort, and scrambled to his feet, brushing the dirt off his pants and jacket. Merlin's words still fresh in his mind; Daniel turned back to the wall and was not surprised to see there was no hole in it. After tracing his fingers along where the alcove had been, he found the loose brick had become just another smooth section of the wall.

**Outside of Iarad…**

The Ancient ring began to spin. It stopped suddenly, then one triangle lit up. The large circle repeated this process seven times in total before a billow of what looked like a cloud emitted from the ring. The cloud drew back and a blue, gel-like substance filled the inside of the ring.

And through it stepped one small person: a young boy. With an air of purpose and maturity, the boy gathering in his familiar surroundings before stepping forward, the Ancient ring falling back to simple stone once more.

And so, though no one knew it yet, began the war.

A/N: And, yes, I'm aware that it's short, I'm sorry. Perhaps I kept it short because you got so much information in this. Which you've got to be grateful for, right?

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	11. Army

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: So, I don't know about you, but I'm liking this one-chapter-a-day trend. Not that it's going to keep up...Friday and Saturday I'm not going to be in town. sniffle And school starts up again next Thursday...yeah, I know, Thursday's a really weird day to start. What can I say? The school district is wacked.

Chapter X

Army

The city of Iarad was in a panic. One of the citizens had been outside the borders and had spotted someone they had recognized. Now the story had spread and this whisper, "_Ettan's here!_" was heard at every corner. And, finally, he showed.

"My good people of Iarad!" Ettan exclaimed in a greeting as he walked to the center of the plaza. "I am needing a place to stay for a few days. All innkeepers please step forward."

About a dozen men stepped closer to the child, heads bowed respectively.

"Now, all those of you who are full, please step back."

A little over half of the men stepped away. Ettan frowned, studying the men.

"Henwies?" he finally called. "You have room!"

One of the men who had backed up raised his head to look at Ettan questioningly. "I have a few rooms that are currently unoccupied, yes, sir, but the people who have rented them are simply on a day trip to the haunted city a few miles north."

Ettan smiled understandingly. "Bob, Sally, Joe, Jane and George, correct?"

Henwies blinked. "Uh…yes, sir."

Ettan took a couple steps closer to the baffled innkeeper. "And you trust them, correct?"

"Y-yes, sir," Henwies stammered, feeling awkward.

"Then you should know they have been lying to you since you first met them," Ettan told him, raising his voice so the entire crowd could hear. "They are not who you think they are." He met Henwies's eyes. "Can you guess who they are, Henwies?"

Henwies gulped. "N-no, sir."

"SG-1."

A collective gasp rose from the villagers. Ettan looked at them, backing up slightly.

"Yes, that's right. SG-1. George is the Jaffa, Teal'c. You might have noticed how his forehead is always conveniently covered? Jane is their brilliant scientist, Samantha Carter. Joe is their leader, Cameron Mitchell. Sally is Vala Mal Doran, my grandmother, the mother of the Orici. And Bob…Bob is Doctor Daniel Jackson, my father. He is also known as Orionus Desalo, the Founder of Origin." Ettan turned his attention back to Henwies, who looked terrified. "I will be using his and Vala's room during my stay, Henwies."

Henwies nodded his understanding frantically, not daring to protest further. As he led Ettan to his inn, Ettan added:

"And you will be emptying your stables."

**Meanwhile…**

"…but he's gonna be a vegetable the rest of his life!" Cam laughed at the joke, but stopped awkwardly when Teal'c didn't so much as smile. The colonel's face fell. "You know? Cuz he's a carrot?" He sighed. "You're not much for jokes, are you?"

"Jaffa humor is quite different than Tauri humor," Teal'c explained.

"Yeah, but after eighteen years, you'd think you'd have more of an appreciation—holy crap." Cam stopped suddenly, raising his P90 at the sight in front of him. He reached for his radio.

"Hey…guys? We just ran into a hoard of…uh…_ghosts_."

**Somewhere Else In Huisa…**

"Don't worry about them, Cam," Sam said quickly in reply. "Vala and I met a couple ourselves. Aya and Nori. They've got an interesting story…and I'm guessing you guys' ghosts share it."

"Whoa, back up," Daniel's voice crackled. "_Ghosts_?"

"It _is_ the City of the Undead," Vala pointed out. There was a pause.

"Well, okay…" the linguist said slowly. "Uh, I ran into Merlin. Kinda."

"As a ghost?" Cam asked, sounding confused.

"No…it was sort of a vision."

"Um…okay…how 'bout we meet back up where Jackson is and swap tales, okay?" Cam said.

"Sounds good," Sam answered. "Carter out." She turned back to Aya and Nori. "You two wanna come along?"

Nori shrugged. "Why not?"

"That was a pretty song you were singing earlier," Sam commented conversationally to Aya as they started to journey to ground level. "Is there more to it?"

Aya smiled. "Thank you. And yes."

"Would you sing it for me?"

"Sure!" Aya exclaimed.

"When the seas and mountains fall

"And we come to end of days,

"In the dark I hear a call

"Calling me there.

"I will go there and back again."

In the middle of the verse, Nori joined in with her sister, her more mature alto voice contrasting beautifully with Aya's young soprano. As they finished, Sam felt a shiver run up her spine.

"There a story behind it?" she asked as the last note died away. Nori shrugged.

"It's an old song. Really, all I know is it's saying this person is being separated from friends and/or family and their love will still go on. And they _will_ meet again. Somehow, someday. And when the end of time comes, their love _still_ will go on."

Vala glanced at Nori. "Kinda fits your situation, doesn't it? With your parents."

Nori shrugged again, not meeting either Sam or Vala's gazes. "I guess."

**A Little While Later…**

"You know what I'm thinking?" Cam said quietly after everyone had "swapped tales". "I'm thinking that these ghosts may be our weapon we're looking for."

"What about that stone Daniel touched?" Vala asked, voice just as low.

"That stone's gone, now, Vala," Daniel pointed out. "I think it was just there so Merlin could talk to me." He turned his attention back to Cam. "But I still don't see how _ghosts_ could be a weapon. They're translucent, Cam. They'd just go through anything they tried to hurt."

"Ya ever seen Lord of the Rings, Jackson?" Cam asked irritably. Daniel frowned.

"No."

Cam looked surprised. "I would've thought—"

"I've read the books," the archeologist interrupted. Cam blinked, then scowled.

"Oh."

"And that was fiction, anyway, Cam," Daniel added. "That means _it's not real_."

Cam's scowl deepened. "Most people would say a lot of what we do is fiction, Jackson. What's your point?"

Daniel sighed. Sam coughed quietly.

"I haven't read _or_ seen Lord of the Rings. What are you guys talking about?"

"There are these ghosts that didn't fulfill some promise they made and are doomed to stay ghosts until they fulfill the promise. They help Aragorn, the rightful King, defeat the army of Orcs," Daniel told her as Cam was staring at Sam incredulously.

"You've never seen _or_ read Lord of the Rings?" he gasped. Sam ignored him.

"Well, Nori and Aya said they had a vengeance to fulfill. Could that be parallel to that promise?"

Daniel shrugged. "That's what Cam's suggesting."

A/N: Ah…you know, I need to watch LOTR again. Good movies.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!


	12. Situation

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: This'll be the last update in our one-chapter-a-day streak...I'm outta town tomorrow and Saturday. But I'll try to update on Sunday, 'kay?

Chapter XI

Situation

After coming to a sort of alliance with the ghosts of Huisa, the team decided to head back to Iarad for the night. Cam still wasn't exactly keen on sticking around the ghosts, even though he knew they were on their side. So, accompanied by one of Nori's friends, Spince, for a faster means of communication, they headed out of the city.

However, near the border of Huisa, they stopped. At the edge of the upcoming forest stood a dog. A large, hairy, black dog. And large was an understatement. Cam swore under his breath.

"Sirius?" he hissed to Daniel who simply stared at something perched on the enormous animal's head. The thing was a small person, immediately recognizable as Ettan with a devilish smirk on his lips.

"Good evening, Father," Ettan called down as Sirius lumbered forward. "How are you?"

"Well I was doing just fine up until now," Daniel called back, resisting the urge to back away from the dog glaring at him with its demon yellow eyes. Ettan laughed humorlessly and jumped down from Sirius's head, landing on his feet lightly like a cat.

"I'll give you one more chance, Father. I won't be soft, like Mother was. Join the Ori."

"What do you mean, 'soft'?" Vala asked, stepping up to Daniel's side. Ettan met her gaze and squinted unhappily. The two of them had never gotten along.

"Mother kept giving you more and more chances to convert," he explained, annoyed. "She never realized that she needed to be more final or things would never get done." He turned his attention back to Daniel. "So Father. Which is it?"

"Are you threatening me?" Daniel suddenly realized. Ettan shrugged.

"I suppose."

Daniel gaped. "I am your _father_!" he exclaimed after a moment. "Don't you _dare_—"

"I take that as a no then?" Ettan interrupted coldly. Daniel broke off, mouth opening and closing aimlessly like a fish. Ettan sighed and nodded at Sirius. Sirius growled, a deep, bass growl, and started towards the archeologist.

"I regret it," Ettan said, without a hint of remorse in his voice at all.

What happened next, happened so fast it took everyone a minute to register. Sirius pounced at Daniel, Vala screamed and scrambled backwards and Daniel ducked instinctively, bracing himself for the painful blow from Sirius's paw…though it never came. In Daniel's mind, he briefly imagined some force field blocking Sirius's way, protecting himself as well as Vala beside him. When he opened his eyes to see what the hell was going on, he saw his imaginings had somehow come true…and Daniel was feeling quite strained, as though it was _he_ who was holding the big dog back. Frowning with instinctive concentration, Daniel pushed the dog away and let go, giving it a furious glare. Obviously shocked, Sirius gave a loud whimper and turned heel, running back into the forest, tail between its hind legs.

Meanwhile, Ettan was stammering and spluttering with rage. "Wh--? How--? What did you--? How did you--?"

Daniel fixed his son with a cold, furious stare. "I still have the power of the Ori, Ettan. You can't kill me."

Ettan stared back, enraged before, like Sirius, he turned heel and stormed back to retrieve his "pet". Silence consumed the area for a few awkward moments after he disappeared and Daniel turned around to help his wary wife back to her feet.

"You…have the power of the Ori?" Spince asked quietly, shocked.

"I thought they took it away!" Cam exclaimed suddenly. Daniel met the colonel's gaze and winced.

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "So did I."

**Back At The Mountain…**

"Okay, so obviously there's a problem in Iarad," Cam said as they sat down an old, dust-covered table in the heart of Huisa's mountain. Daniel hadn't been able to explain the sudden return of his powers, to the discomfort of the entire team.

Vala looked at him sardonically. "No…really?"

"We need to check it out," Sam said before Cam could retaliate. Daniel looked up. He had been staring down at his knees silently since they had finally stopped asking him about his powers.

"I'll do it," he offered. Cam shook his head violently.

"Nu-uh," he said firmly. "There's no way I'm allowing you to go back there. Ettan's probably staying in some inn."

"Possibly Henwies's," Teal'c suggested.

"Exactly!" Daniel exclaimed. "We owe it to Henwies."

"What danger could Henwies possibly be in?" Cam demanded. "He's a follower of the Ori, Ettan's not gonna kill him."

"But—"

"No 'but's, Jackson," Cam interrupted, sounding final. "I know the reason you want to go is because Ettan's your son, but he just tried to kill you! There's a large chance he's gonna want to try and do that again!"

Daniel fell silent again, turning back to his knees.

"I have a feeling he was coming after the rest of us next, Cam," Sam pointed out. "None of us are safe in Iarad anymore."

"One of us could go," Nori suggested from the opposite end of the room. "No one would know we were there."

"You can go invisible?" Sam asked curiously. Nori nodded.

"See?" and she winked out of sight. After a moment, she blinked back, a few feet closer to them. "And it's not like they could hurt us even if they did find us."

Sam looked to Cam. "It's the best thing we've got," she told him. Cam pursed his lips.

"All right. But only one of you."

"I'll do it," Spince offered. "I…have a talent of eavesdropping."

Cam nodded. "Sounds good. For now, I think _we_ should get some sleep."

**Late That Night...  
**

With a sigh, Vala rolled over to stare hard at the back of Daniel's head. The linguist had been tossing and turning every thirty seconds and it was starting to get annoying. After a moment, his head turned to meet her stare.

"What?"

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded. "You're not even _trying_ to fall asleep!"

Daniel sighed heavily, and looked away. Vala frowned and propped herself up, reaching out to force him to look at her.

"Daniel."

His eyes closed, as if he were in pain. "He tried to kill me."

Vala softened, understanding. "I know how you feel," she whispered. Daniel's eyes opened again.

"Except you don't. Ettan's right, Adria was soft on you, she kept giving you chances. Heck, did she ever even threaten to kill you?" he asked, voice harsh. "Adria never would've tried to kill you, she adored you too much." His voice went soft at the last part of that, his gaze slipping. Vala frowned.

"So you're upset because you thought Ettan loved you more than he does?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Daniel demanded. Vala sighed and stroked his cheek soothingly.

"Daniel, relax. There's nothing you can do about it. Especially not now. Get some sleep."

Daniel's mouth twisted unhappily for a moment before nodding. Vala, satisfied, turned back on her side and soon was fast asleep. Daniel watched her breathing slow and, when he was completely convinced she was actually asleep, got out of bed and left the room.

A/N: Daniel, you're an idiot. You know that? You're gonna get in trouble…

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	13. The Red Wine

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XII

The Red Wine

Changing out of his BDU pants (which Daniel had been using as pajamas) and into a tunic and cloak he found in a chest of drawers, Daniel slipped out of the mountain and headed towards Iarad. He wasn't about to simply let the fact his son had tried to kill him pass but he knew that if anyone recognized him _now_ there would be definite hell to pay. When he entered the sleeping city, Daniel pulled the hood over his head, hiding his face in the dark shadows and headed directly for Henwies's inn.

The innkeeper was still nervously bustling around in the kitchens when Daniel entered from the back door. Silent as a cat, Daniel slunk over to Henwies and put a hand over his mouth, whispering, "It's me."

Henwies's eyes flew wide when he recognized the voice and he pushed away, panicked.

"I know who you are!" Henwies exclaimed, however quietly. Daniel frowned, pulling his hood down out of his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"You're Daniel Jackson, also known as Orionus Desalo, Founder of Origin!"

It was Daniel's turn for his eyes to fly wide. Then he winced. "I suppose Ettan told you."

Henwies nodded wildly. Daniel sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Henwies. I wasn't sure if we could trust you when we first met you. It was a precaution." He watched Henwies's expression for a moment, mouth twisted in slight frustration. "I suppose you're going to turn me in now, huh?"

Henwies hesitated, but then he shook his head. "I trust you."

Daniel looked surprised. "Why?"

Henwies shrugged. "Well…you remember how I said you were my favorite customers because there was something different about you? You didn't seem to be afraid to stand up for your beliefs? Weren't going to give in?"

Daniel nodded slowly, starting to catch on.

"I realize now _why_ I saw that in you!" Henwies exclaimed, still seeming nervous. He paused for a moment, seeming to consider something and then coming to a decision. "You see…the only reason why I follow the Ori is, well, because I don't want to die. I'm not exactly the bravest man in the galaxy, you might've guessed." He smiled weakly at Daniel, who smiled back, amused but confused. "I don't…agree with their policies. And, after the rule of the Goa'uld, I'm not ready to be forced into another religion. But…I was too cowardly. And now I'm stuck."

"You're not stuck!" Daniel exclaimed, stepping forward and placing a hand on Henwies's shoulder. "Me and my friends can get you out of here, Henwies!"

"But…what about my inn?" Henwies asked slowly, suddenly nervous again. "I've never had such good business in all my career!"

"We'll get you another inn, Henwies," Daniel assured him. "We've got connections all over the galaxy, we can give you a new life where the Ori will never find you."

Henwies frowned. "But…"

"Look, Henwies, I don't have time right now, do you know where Ettan is staying?" Daniel interrupted. Henwies winced.

"Upstairs."

Daniel looked at him, surprised. "I thought you were full."

"He insisted on taking _your_ room."

Daniel's lips pursed. "He would," he muttered.

"Why do you say that, Father?"

Daniel whirled, throat suddenly constricting but not from surprise…

With an angry growl, Daniel pushed Ettan's unexpected telekinetic grip away and lashed out with his own power. The archeologist and his son's powers met, pushing forcefully at each other. Sweat dripped from Daniel's temple as he felt his muscles shake. He was getting too old for this. Mid-forty-year-old men did not have as much energy as seven-year-old boys.

Suddenly Ettan's power pushed Daniel's far to the side and Ettan refocused his attention. Daniel automatically threw up defenses but soon realized Ettan wasn't staring at him but…at Henwies. Daniel turned to see Henwies rising into the air, eyes bulging as he clawed desperately at his neck.

"No!" Daniel growled, grabbing Ettan's tangible power and thrusting it away. Daniel jumped in front of Henwies, grabbing the robust innkeeper as he fell to the floor. He looked up at Daniel, a grateful smile on his lips.

"Thank—"

Suddenly Daniel blacked out, falling on top of Henwies with a thud.

**Morning…**

Vala woke with a start, realizing there wasn't another body in bed with her. She looked around wildly, seeing Daniel's BDUs resting on a chair.

"Daniel?" she called, confused. She slipped out of bed and walked over to the desk the chair was sitting at and saw a small note scribbled on a torn piece of paper.

_Vala—_

_If I'm not back by the time you wake up, don't worry. I will be soon._

_Much love,_

_--Daniel_

Vala frowned. _That_ was vague. How could she be sure he'd be back soon? Where had he gone? When had he left? How soon was 'soon'? ...And why the heck were his clothes sitting on the chair?

Quickly, she threw on some clothes and rushed out the room. Almost immediately, she ran into Cameron.

"Hey," he said, a little startled. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Daniel this morning?" Vala asked quickly. Cam frowned.

"No…have you lost him?" he asked with a slight grin. Vala growled at him. Cam raised his hands defensively. "No, I haven't seen him." Then he blinked, as if suddenly realizing something. "Crap. Where's Spince?"

"Right here," the ghost said, suddenly appeared behind the colonel. Cam jumped slightly before turning around.

"Did you find anything last night?"

"The child is staying at an inn called _The Red Wine_," Spince replied.

"That's Henwies's inn," Cam said, frowning. Spince nodded.

"Yes, I believe that's the innkeeper's name. Short, stout man, seemed very nervous. The stables were cleared out for the big dog we saw yesterday. It seems the child retrieved it."

"Daniel wanted to check it out himself," Vala mused, not seeming to pay attention to what Spince was saying. Suddenly she looked up. "That's probably where he went!" And she was out of sight, sprinting to the door.

"Vala!" Cam called, stepping forward. He cursed, grabbing his radio. "Teal'c, Sam, come in."

"I'm here," Sam replied.

"So am I, Colonel Mitchell."

"We're going to Iarad. Now."

**Meanwhile…**

Daniel found himself waking up in he and Vala's bed in _The Red Wine_…only he was tied down. He struggled against the bonds automatically, but found that, of course, they were too tight and well tied for his efforts to do any good at all. So he ceased struggling and kept still, examining the room and focused on gathering his power to release himself. All at once, he let the power attack at the ropes…and found it, somehow, trapped inside of him.

The door creaked open and in stepped a short figure, turning to stare at Daniel with a smile that reminded the archeologist all too much of Adria whenever she had been in the act of trying to kill him.

"Ettan?"

Ettan's smirk widened. "Father."

Daniel growled, recognizing this as a dream he had had the night Vala had gotten drunk.

"What did you do?" he demanded. "Why can't I use my power?"

"I am not as stupid as you may think, Father," Ettan said, shutting the door behind him. "I knew you would try to escape."

Daniel watched as Ettan pulled out a small pouch from his pocket. Ettan twirled the pouch between his fingers, smirking.

"Curious to know how I got powers?"

Daniel glared.

"The Ori gave them to me," Ettan explained, tugging the pouch open. "Granted, mine aren't as vast as the ones they gave you or Mother, but all the same. They're quite handy sometimes." Ettan slipped three fingers into the pouch and pulled something out, flashing it in the light and letting the pouch drop to the floor. He grinned at Daniel's shocked expression when the sunlight glinted on the dagger in Ettan's hand.

"No!! No, you don't…I'm looking for my husband! Get your _hands_ off of me!!! Hey! Ow! Let _go_ of me!! No, I'm looking for…oh…no…"

Daniel's heart jolted. That was Vala's voice…and it was coming from outside, specifically, the center plaza…

A/N: (giggles hysterically) Oh, I'm so excited for the next chapter!!!!!!!!! Unlucky 13, sure to be a action-filled chapter (and I did not do that on purpose, I swear)!

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!!


	14. Deja Vu

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XIII

Déjà Vu

Jack O'Neill woke up uneasy that morning. He lay in bed, listening for a few minutes, to see if it had been one of the kids that had woken him (Jared and Rose hadn't stopped giggling until 10:00 last night) and even peeked his head into their rooms but knew it wasn't that. He glanced at the clock on the stove to see it was only a little after 5…and he wasn't going in to work today, he needed to watch after the kids.

Then he realized what was bothering him. Yesterday, he had made a very daring move against Woolsey…and it hadn't come back to bite him. Yet, at least. But, really, the IOA was pretty quick about these things. Jack looked in to the kids' rooms again, making sure they were still asleep. He could run to the base for a few minutes, make a call and come back before they woke up, right? Yeah…

**Meanwhile…**

Vala had sprinted the entire way to Iarad, a desperate woman. Flying into Iarad without a thought for her safety, awakening villagers had automatically recognized her.

"It's Sally!"

"No, that's Vala Mal Doran, of SG-1!"

"What should we do?"

"Get her!"

Vala was taken off guard as two men rushed towards her, grabbing her arms. "No!! No, you don't…I'm looking for my husband! Get your _hands_ off of me!!! Hey! Ow! Let _go_ of me!! No, I'm looking for…oh…no…" She stopped her yelling, staring with horror at where they were leading her. A low, wide, patterned stone circle sat in the center of the plaza and in the center of the circle was a small yoke-like bench with shackles on either end. The pattern was a sort of circular maze, leading from the bench to a bucket a couple yards away from the center. Vala gulped as the men pushed her towards the bench and shackled her wrists to it.

"It's the Prior!"

"The Prior will tell us what to do!"

Vala looked up at the cries to see a Prior walking towards her, impassive face studious as ever.

"We will wait until Ettan arrives before any decisions are made," the Prior declared, seeming uncharacteristically uneasy. The villagers whispered excitedly to each other in hushed voices. This was something they never witnessed, seeing as this was a city _built_ by the Ori.

It didn't take long for Ettan to show, a bound and angry Daniel behind him. Ettan told two muscular men to keep their eyes on Daniel before joining the Prior by the bucket. Vala stared at Daniel desperately, wondering why he didn't just use his powers to finish this. Daniel met her gaze briefly, but soon looked away, wincing.

Ettan stared her down for a few minutes, assessing her before turning to the Prior.

"Burn her."

"Whoa, hey, could we talk about this?" a voice yelled. Villagers were jostled out of the way as three more spectators arrived at the scene. Vala craned her neck around to see Cam, Teal'c and Sam behind her. "I mean, burning is a little extreme, don't you think?"

Ettan barely even acknowledged the colonel. "Those three will be next."

Automatically, six villagers grabbed them.

"Hey!" Cam yelled, struggling. His efforts were only met by more restraining hands. Meanwhile, the Prior dipped a lit torch into the bucket, lighting the liquid inside. The bucket tipped, and the flaming liquid drained into the stone channel, licking down the circular maze.

"Daniel!" Vala yelled, eyes fixed on the fire. "Daniel, I would rather not experience this again!"

Daniel winced, watching the fire travel closer and closer to the center of the circle. He closed his eyes, as if unwilling to watch.

"_DANIEL!!!!!!!_"

Suddenly the two men watching Daniel flew backwards and the ropes holding Daniel's arms snapped. The villagers holding Sam, Teal'c and Cameron were also thrown backwards as Vala's body burst into flame. Daniel whirled to see her body erect, screams dead.

"NO!"

Ettan smiled at Daniel. "You were too late," he said calmly, soft voice just loud enough to be heard over the fire. Daniel glared at him angrily before turning his attention back to Vala with a fixed stare. All too quickly to be natural, the flames extinguished, leaving behind a blackened figure, still shackled to the bench. Without a thought, Daniel jumped onto the stone and released Vala's wrists, cradling her body in his arms. He closed his eyes again, rubbing Vala's charred hand. Sam looked away, too unnerved to be able to see her friend in this state. Cameron winced painfully, watching and more glad than before that he hadn't been there the first time. Teal'c watched, frowning slightly, for he saw something the others did not.

**Meanwhile…**

"Good morning, Mr. President?" Jack greeted into the receiver. "It's General O'Neill. Yes, I was wondering if the IOA has…er, said anything to you about me or the SGC. No? Have you talked to Richard Woolsey since yesterday? No? You haven't had contact with _anyone_ from the IOA for a couple days? Yes, sir, that would worry me as well. Of course, sir. No, sir. Thank you very much, sir." Jack hung up the red phone, frowning thoughtfully but then shrugged. Whatever was going on was not a big enough deal for _him_ to worry about. _He_ was playing babysitter.

**Back in Iarad…**

Slowly, ever so slowly, Vala's blackened skin was returning to its normal color. Her long hair was growing back and her clothes became undamaged. With a shuddering gasp, Vala's eyes flew open. Daniel held her up so he could look into her eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, smiling. Vala returned the smile shakily.

"Déjà vu," she whispered before grabbing his arms and hugging him. Daniel nestled his face into her hair.

"Sorry 'bout that. Ettan had me restrained. Took a while to get past him," he whispered. Vala simply bit back a sob and buried her face into Daniel's shoulder. Cautiously, the others approached.

"That was…unexpected," Cam said uneasily. Daniel looked up at him.

"A little help?"

Cam and Teal'c helped Daniel help Vala to her feet and she leaned on the colonel and Jaffa heavily.

"I don't remember being this exhausted last time," she commented.

"Last time the Prior who brought you back hadn't just exerted a whole bunch of energy," Daniel muttered, turning to catch a certain innkeeper's terrified gaze. "Henwies, whaddya say? Gonna take me up on my offer?"

"What offer?" Cam hissed. Henwies only stared at Daniel wildly. Daniel frowned.

"Henwies?"

At his name, the innkeeper whirled around and bustled out of sight. Daniel watched him go, surprised, before turning his attention to the crowd, also staring at him with horrified expressions. The archeologist's eyes swept over them, confused, and stopped on Ettan, whose eyes met his with a furious gleam. In the next second, the Prior stepped in front of Ettan, as if protecting him. Daniel's eyes traveled up to meet the Prior's. Then he turned heel and stormed away.

"Jackson!" Cam called, taking a step after him before realizing he was still holding Vala up. He growled lowly.

"C'mon," he muttered. "Let's get outta here."

A/N: Lalalalalalalala…I LOVE this story…hehe. ;p

I ALSO LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!


	15. Fear

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: _**IMPORTANT WARNING**_: This chapter and most likely future chapters will have at least little children in mortal danger. If anyone is sensitive to that, I'm truly sorry and will try not to draw it out too much.

I mean, not that it doesn't bother _me_, it bothers me to no end. I hate it when kids are in peril. Like in POTC, the Black Pearl, when the pirates first show up and are terrorizing the town and there's that little boy screaming bloody murder? I get chills every time, believe me.

Also, school for me starts up again tomorrow so updates will be more spread out from this point on. Just thought you should know.

Chapter XIV

Fear

Jack turned off his car with a sigh, stepping out and ready to get another hour or so of sleep. He walked up to the door, fiddling with his keys to find the right one but stopped dead when he looked up. The door was open a fraction, the lock very obviously broken. His heart dropped like a dead weight into his stomach and he rushed inside frantically.

"Rose! James! Jared!"

Jack skidded to a stop as he arrived in the living room. An unfamiliar man in familiar Ori warrior armor stood before him, gun directed to the man's left. In the line of fire was little Jared; stubbornly protecting Rose who was cowering behind him and chewing on her blonde locks. She looked up at the sound of Jack.

"Daddy!" she whimpered. Jack had never felt such pain, catching Rose's blue-grey eyes and seeing the terror in them. He wrenched his gaze away and glared at the intruder.

"What do you want?" he hissed, venom seeping through his voice. The man simply smiled briefly.

"I believe you know what I want," he replied.

"Found the other one," a female called as she walked into the room. Jack whirled to see she was wearing Ori armor as well (the Ori let females fight too?), James, still asleep, in her arms. Jack simmered.

"Ah. Jack O'Neill, I assume?" the woman asked. Jack only had eyes for his son, so peaceful, with no clue what was going on.

"Now." The man crouched down to Jared's level, keeping his weapon aimed steadily at the young boy. Jack turned to see what he was doing. "Jared, right? Why don't you and…Rose come with us?"

Jared's eyes squinted. "No," he bit with all the stubborn conviction of a four-year-old. The man sighed, reached over Jared's shoulder and picked Rose up by the arm, holding the gun to her temple. Jack had trouble keeping himself from interfering which he was sure would only make the situation worse.

"What do you say, Jared? Come quietly…or don't ever go anywhere again."

How could someone threaten children like that? How cruel, insensitive and heartless did one have to be? How damaged was their soul?

Jared looked scared now, though it seemed he were more frightened at the risk of having Rose hurt, and he looked to Jack for some sort of direction or command. Jack marveled at the courage of the boy before nodding slightly. Jared looked back to the man, pulling himself up to his full two feet, ten inches.

"Fine."

The man grinned momentarily before setting Rose back down on her feet and grabbing Jared with his other hand. He glanced at the woman, watching the scene with a somewhat amused expression.

Okay, threatening the kids was bad enough, but to be _amused_ by it?

"Let's go," the man ordered and he dragged Jared and Rose out the door. The woman followed, pausing to look back at Jack before closing the door behind her.

"Don't follow us. You have 48 hours."

**I****n Huisa…**

After returning to the mountain, Daniel briefly and tersely explained what had happened. Cam yelled at him for a few minutes about how he had _told_ Daniel not to go to Iarad, how he had _said_ Ettan would try to kill him again and just _look_ what happened! Vala had _died_ and now there was absolutely no _way_ the team was going to be able to go back into Iarad without getting _maimed_! _And_ Henwies no longer trusted them! Sam quietly told Cam that _that_ was not Daniel's fault, but Ettan's but Cam wouldn't let it go. Daniel stood silently as Cam bellowed at him, walking away without a word after Cam finally was done.

"That might've been a little harsh," Daniel heard Sam whisper as he left. "After all, he just watched Vala die."

"It was his own fault," Cam hissed back as Vala quickly followed Daniel out of the room. Daniel made his way swiftly to the room he and Vala were temporarily occupying and sat down on the bed with an extremely heavy sigh. Vala rushed in behind him, sitting beside him with a concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

Daniel gave her a sideways glance. "What, other than the fact Ettan just killed you and tried to kill me again?"

Vala pursed her lips. "Yes, other than that."

Daniel sighed again, looking away. Vala waited, knowing he was simply trying to find the words to express himself.

"They…were afraid of me," he whispered, sounding horrified at the thought. "All of them. The villagers…Henwies…the Prior, even!"

Vala winced. Somehow she had thought this conversation would come up sometime. "You…can be a frightening person sometimes, Daniel," she told him. Daniel's head jolted up to stare at her.

"_What?!_" he hissed. Vala winced again.

"I…Look, I know most people, like the team and Jack and even yourself, see you as this all knowing, all seeking, innocent archeologist. But to put it point blank, you can be rather ruthless when you're in power, when you've got this…_magic_ you can control. Sometimes, when you've got this power in you, you can get…misguided, you can make horrible, horrible mistakes and it _is_ scary, Daniel! The biggest example is…you, Orionus Desalo, Founder of Origin."

Daniel bristled and Vala frowned.

"This is why I always say you and Orionus _are_ the same person. Daniel, I guess, is the innocent archeologist everyone thinks you are and Orionus is the scary, ruthless Daniel, but they _are_ the same person!"

Daniel was gaping at her. "I…I can't _believe_ you! That's what you think of me?"

Vala's frown deepened. "Daniel, it's the truth. You _have_ to except that."

Daniel stood up, staring at her in disbelief. "No, I don't! It's _not_ true! You're just…"

"I'm just what, Daniel?" Vala demanded, standing up as well. "What do I have to gain by telling you you can be a scary person?"

"I don't know!" Daniel exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "But that's the way you work, Vala! That's the way you are!"

"_That's the way I __**work**_?" Vala yelled, outraged. Daniel nodded frantically.

"You twist and mangle things to work in _your_ benefit, Vala, it's your way of living! Survival instincts of a space pirate!"

"I HAVE NOT BEEN A "SPACE PIRATE" FOR OVER EIGHT YEARS!" Vala bellowed. Daniel winced very slightly.

"That's what you say," he said quietly before literally running from the room.

A/N: (winces) Okay, I was totally NOT expecting that argument to come out of that. Uh…wow. Ouch.

Oh and I believe I should acknowledge HAZMOT for the vast majority of the paragraph were Vala was telling Daniel he can be a bit ruthless. The words are HAZMOT's.

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	16. Scorpion

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: From this point on, things will be moving pretty fast paced.

Chapter XV

Scorpion

After Sam was finished berating Cameron, the colonel sat down to try to figure out their next move. He was coming up blank.

"Colonel Mitchell, this is General O'Neill, do you read me?"

Cam jumped slightly and grabbed his radio. "This is Colonel Mitchell."

"How's the situation out there?"

"Ah…not so good," Cam admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is it bad enough that you can't make it home?"

Cam frowned. "Not if you need us, sir."

"I do."

"We'll be there within the hour, sir," Cam assured him. "Mitchell out."

"I'm coming," Sam's voice said immediately.

"As am I," Teal'c agreed.

"I'll grab Daniel," Vala told them. "I don't think he heard."

**The Gate Room…**

"What's up, General?" Cam asked as the team walked down the ramp to where Jack was waiting.

"Yesterday I went against the IOA's orders and let Ettan go."

Cam winced. "Yeah, we know."

Jack's eyes widened. "Great," he muttered. "Anyway, the IOA never burned me for it so this morning I ran here to give the President a call."

"Wait, you left the kids?" Sam asked. "Come to think of it, where are they now?"

Jack winced. "They were still asleep. I'm getting there, Sam."

Sam frowned disapprovingly.

"The President told me he hasn't had contact with the IOA for the past few days," Jack continued.

"_That's_ not good," Vala commented. Jack shook his head.

"No, it's not. When I went home, two Ori warriors had broken in. They took the kids," he said quietly. Sam looked outraged.

"You shouldn't have—"

"Sam, I'm taking full blame for this already," Jack bit testily. "I already feel horrible, okay?"

"Jared?" Vala whispered. Jack nodded.

"Him too."

"General O'Neill, do you know…?" Teal'c asked slowly, seeming worried. Jack looked surprised.

"No, I don't, actually. You can go home, Teal'c."

Teal'c nodded his thanks and ran out the room.

"Do you know where they took the kids?" Sam asked. "Or why?"

Jack shook his head. "They said I should know why. They've given us 48 hours."

"Could the thing with the IOA have to do with this?" Cam pondered. Jack nodded.

"That's what I was thinking."

"I'll go check it out," Cam offered.

"I'll come with you," Sam said. Jack gave his consent and the two colonels ran off. Jack turned to Daniel and Vala.

"Get changed and meet me in the briefing room in ten minutes."

**46 Hours Left…**

"So you have absolutely no idea how your powers came back?" Jack asked slowly after the remaining SG-1 members explained what had happened on their part. Daniel shook his head. Jack seemed to think about this.

"Is there the possibility these aren't the same powers?" Jack mused. Daniel frowned.

"What else would they be?"

"From the stone!" Vala suggested, catching on to Jack's train of thought. Daniel pursed his lips at her.

"The stone was simply so Merlin could communicate with me," he growled.

"But that doesn't make sense," Jack pointed out. "Merlin's never needed something other than his own powers to contact you. The stone had to have had some other purpose to it!"

"But the Ancients can't interfere…" Daniel argued slowly. Jack looked exasperated.

"This is _Merlin_ we're talking about, Daniel, does he _ever_ follow the rules?"

"But _why_?" Daniel asked desperately. "Why would he give me powers?"

"Well, he said SG-1 was the scorpion," Vala said, thinking. "Maybe…"

Suddenly Daniel caught on. "But wouldn't that mean _all_ of us have powers?"

Jack and Daniel stared at Vala. It took her a moment to realize why.

"What am I supposed to do?" she demanded. "Wiggle my fingers and say hocus pocus?"

Daniel's ears were reddening. "How about abracadabra?" he suggested scathingly. Jack frowned at him, looking back and forth between the couple. Suddenly Daniel swore, head snapping to the side as if he'd been slapped. He rubbed his cheek, looking offended. Jack stared, and then shot Vala a look. She was looking slightly surprised…yet quite triumphant.

**45.5 Hours Left…**

"Ishta!" Teal'c ran into his apartment with urgency. Ishta appeared from one of the rooms, rushing into her husband's arms. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Ishta whispered. "I suppose you know about the people who broke in."

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed. O'Neill's home was broken in to as well. They took Rose, James and Jared."

Ishta's eyes widened. "Was he all right?"

"He wasn't home," Teal'c explained. "He came home as they were leaving. Where's Tya? Is she well?"

Ishta nodded. "She is fine. She slept through the entire fight."

Teal'c hurried to Tya's room, arms already outstretched to pick her up from her crib. Before he reached the crib, the sleeping child raised from out of the bed and into the Jaffa's arms. He stared at his still slumbering daughter, surprised. Ishta, behind him, stared as well.

"Teal'c?" she whispered. "What just happened?"

Teal'c shook his head. "I don't know." Quickly, he handed Tya to Ishta and pulled out his phone, dialing a number and putting it to his ear. "O'Neill."

_"Teal'c. What's up?"_

"I…I'm not sure."

_"Teal'c, you okay? You're not sounding like yourself."_

"Tya came into my arms without me picking her up."

_"Ah. Haha. Actually…well, Vala, Daniel and I were just talking about that. We're thinking all of SG-1 has powers. Not just Daniel. Vala's got 'em."_

"Why would we _all_ have powers?" Teal'c asked, confused.

_"Because all of SG-1's the scorpion. Somehow Merlin gave Daniel powers when he touched the stone and we're thinking because of the interaction with you guys, you were able to get them as well. Or Daniel's just more used to having powers and could use 'em before you or something like that."_

"So it is nothing to worry about?" Teal'c made sure.

_"Well, I wouldn't say that, but Merlin gave 'em to you, Teal'c. You make the call."_

**12 Hours Left…**

"So the IOA's been infiltrated," Cam said as he and Sam walked briskly into Jack's office. Jack looked up from his computer and stood, coming around his desk.

"By the Ori?"

Sam nodded. "We recognized Tomin there. Didn't go up to him or anything, but he was fitting in perfectly. Looked like he was in a high position."

"High enough to control the operation?" Jack asked.

"We don't think it's _him_ who's controlling the IOA," Cam said. "I mean, too many people like Woolsey would recognize him."

"But there's only a limited number of people the Ori could have there without being noticed," Sam added, "so we're not sure."

Jack nodded. "Any idea how long they've been here?"

"A week at most," Cam said. "Can't have been long or we would've heard something by now."

"We would hope," Jack muttered. "While you guys were in D.C. we…made an interesting discovery. We…_think_ Daniel's powers aren't the same ones as before. We think he got them from Merlin. Vala and Teal'c have powers too."

Sam and Cameron looked surprised. "They do?" Sam asked. Jack nodded.

"Yeah. We're thinking it's because Merlin said all of SG-1's the scorpion. So you two should have powers as well." He watched them expectantly. The two colonels exchanged glances before Sam turned to Jack with a slightly sly smile. The general found himself being pulled closer to his wife, despite any efforts he put against it. She gave him a quick kiss on the chin. Jack smiled.

"Well. _You've_ got 'em."

Cam rolled his eyes. "Are they more than telekinesis?" he asked. Jack and Sam turned to him. Jack shrugged.

"We know Daniel was able to bring Vala back to life but other than that…"

Cam held out his left hand, palm up and stared at it hard, eyes squinting slightly. A swirling sphere of white…stuff appeared in his hand. Cam turned his hand to his palm was facing Jack's desk and flicked his wrist. The sphere shot to the general's desk and made a clean hole through the side of it. Cam winced, glancing at Jack.

"Sorry 'bout that."

Jack, however, grinned. "It's okay. Never liked that particular spot of the desk anyway."

A/N: Whoa…I actually lost track of how long that was…not that anyone of you is complaining, I'm sure…

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	17. Time

Myth  
Briar Elwood

Chapter XVI

Time

**10 Hours Left…**

"So do we have any idea _where_ the kids are?" Jack asked after the entire team assembled in the briefing room.

"We don't even know how the Ori got here without us knowing," Sam pointed out. "We're stuck, Jack."

"Maybe…" Daniel said cautiously. "Maybe we should consider giving them what they want."

"You're kidding," Vala said bluntly. Daniel glared at her.

"We're looking at this from the standpoint of simply getting the kids back. And we're stuck. But if we consider…"

"They didn't tell us what they wanted," Cam pointed out. "They said O'Neill should know."

Daniel turned his frown on the colonel. "Oh, come on. What else would they want from us other than to convert?"

"Maybe they still think we have Ettan," Jack pointed out.

"Somehow I doubt that," the linguist drawled.

"But it's still possible," Vala argued. Daniel's glare intensified.

"Will you just shut up?"

Four pairs of eyes flew wide. Vala returned Daniel's death glare.

"Why don't _you_?" she bit. "_You're_ the one who's suggesting we give in!"

"_I'm_ trying to get the kids back!" Daniel yelled back. "_I_ will do anything to get them back whereas it seems you will only do what's in the best interest for you!"

"_I'll_ do anything to get them back too, I'm just not ready to give up yet!" Vala screamed, standing up. Daniel stood up as well.

"I'm not giving up! I'm looking at the options!"

"Hey!" Jack yelled, standing up along with them. "Stop it! Sit down! Both of you." He waited. The couple continued to glare daggers. Jack scowled. "Do I have to make that an order?" Finally they sat down, but kept the glaring contest going. Jack sighed. "And stop glaring at each other."

It was silent for a few moments before Sam spoke up. "How long has it been since the warriors took the kids, Jack?"

Jack sat down slowly, keeping his eyes on Daniel. "About 29 hours. We've got 19 left."

There was an intake of breath from Cameron. "We're running out of time."

Jack nodded. "We need to figure something out _now_."

"Unauthorized off world activation. Unauthorized off world activation."

The friends all shared glances before getting up and running down to the control room.

"Receiving a video transmission, sir," Walter Harriman told them as they gathered behind him. Jack nodded.

"Bring it up."

The screens crackled to life and a person the team least expected to see gave them a familiar crooked smile.

"Well?" Ba'al asked. "What's taking you so long?"

A/N: (cackles evilly…sister does too…Anjirika, you know what sister I'm talking about) So that was evilly short. But, hey, the last chapter was extra long. And this was such a good cliffhanger I couldn't help myself. I mean, Ba'al??? WHAT THE HECK?! Hehe. You'll see…

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	18. Little Adventure

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XVII

Little Adventure

_"Well?" Ba'al asked. "What's taking so long?"_

"What?" Cam asked, blinking. Ba'al rolled his eyes.

"What…is…taking…so…long?" he said slowly.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"The Ori!" Ba'al exclaimed, as if that should be obvious. "Why are they still on Earth?"

"Wh--…Where _are_ you?" Jack demanded. Ba'al shrugged.

"Just a little base I have close to Earth. The Ori were terrorizing me and my people so much I finally just left."

"Well, we just found out they're here yesterday," Jack bit angrily. Ba'al laughed.

"Ah. I wondered if that was it."

"Do you have anything that could help us?" Cam asked, getting annoyed. Ba'al seemed to consider this.

"What would I get in return?"

"The Ori off this planet," Sam replied immediately. Jack nodded.

"You obviously want us to get them off, so why not give us the information you have?"

Ba'al thought about this for a moment before nodding. "All right. Only if you let me come along on your little adventure."

"What 'little adventure'?" Cam asked. Ba'al smiled again, the same crooked smile as before.

"I'll tell you if you let me through the 'gate."

Everyone looked at Jack who sighed. "Fine."

Ba'al's smile widened. "Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." Jack nodded at Walter before hitting the com. "Ready your weapons."

**9.5 Hours Left…**

"They landed in a small ship, about nine days ago, in some remote forest in Virginia," Ba'al told them in the briefing room. "They've been picking off my people and…either killing them or torturing them, I don't know which. Possibly just keeping them in captivity but I doubt it. Anyway, I finally got sick of it and left, figuring _you_ would take care of it. But obviously you haven't."

Cam bristled angrily. "Look, we just found out about—"

"Yes, yes, so you told me," Ba'al said dismissively.

"Do you know where this remote forest in Virginia _is_?" Vala asked. Ba'al nodded.

"Yes, of course. I also know why they're here and I'm guessing you don't."

"What?" Cam asked.

"The usual. Convert or die."

Daniel gave Vala a triumphant look, which she ignored. Ba'al leaned back in his chair leisurely.

"So. When do we leave?"

**7.5 Hours Left…**

"Mitchell," Jack called, running to catch up with the colonel. Cam turned, frowning.

"Yeah? I gotta get the Denver airport, sir," he added, glancing at his watch. Jack nodded.

"I know. I just…well, I didn't get the chance to talk to you when Ba'al wasn't there. There are a few orders I have for you that he shouldn't know."

Cam nodded, completely understanding.

"First, he can't know about the powers," Jack said. "Knowing him, he'll either use them in his advantage or find a way to use them against you."

"Of course, sir," Cam agreed.

"Second, I do _not_ care about his well-being."

Cam laughed. "Of course not, sir. He's the last clone, right?"

Jack nodded. "The last we know of. If he dies, we're done with Ba'al and that is perfectly fine with me."

"Me too, sir."

"Third, don't trust him. About anything. Not even about anything he told us back in the briefing."

"Not about the location or why the Ori are here?" Cam asked, frowning. Jack shook his head. "Sir, he dislikes the Ori just as much as we do."

"And he'll use that similarity between us to his best interest," Jack agreed. "Just don't trust him until you've got solid proof."

Cam shrugged. "All right."

"_And_," Jack said pointedly. "Don't let him _any_wher_e near_ the kids. I wouldn't put it past him to use them for cover."

Cam nodded seriously. "Of course, sir. I'll let the others know as well."

Jack nodded and patted Cameron's shoulder. "Good luck, Colonel. Keep an eye on the time."

**Half An Hour Left…**

"You see? There's their ship," Ba'al whispered. The group had split up, Cameron with Ba'al, Sam with Vala and Daniel with Teal'c. "Do you believe me now?"

Cam studied the ship and the surrounding camp for a moment with thin lips before nodding shortly. "All right. Where're the kids?"

Ba'al shrugged. "How would I know?"

Cam sighed. "Let me once again point out that _I_ have a zat and you don't."

"All right, all right, if you want a guess, I'd say either in the tent or the ship!" Ba'al hissed. Cam glared at him.

"Really? That's brilliant of you," he said sarcastically. But he sighed and grabbed his radio. "Sam, you and Vala check out the ship. Daniel, Teal'c, you check the tent. Ba'al and I'll distract 'em."

"Understood," Sam replied.

"We're on our way," Daniel agreed.

"Wait, why me?" Ba'al demanded. "Why am I the distraction?"

"Because I don't trust you," Cam said matter-of-factly. He nudged the Goa'uld with his zat. "Now go!"

Ba'al sighed heavily and stood up, brushing himself off and walking into plain view of the Ori warriors standing as guards.

"Hello," he greeted cheerily. "I was wondering—"

"Hey, you're that System Lord!" one of the guards exclaimed. "Ba'al!"

Ba'al nodded. "Yes, that's me. Now, I was wondering if—"

"You're not supposed to be on the planet!" the guard continued. "You fled!"

"Now, I didn't exactly _flee_…" Ba'al corrected, sounding annoyed.

"Get him!" one of the guards yelled. Ba'al turned and scowled at Cameron.

"Now what?"

"Hey! He's just a distraction!" a voice exclaimed suddenly. Cam's heart dropped. "They're trying to get the kids!"

A/N: Dun dun dun dun…hehe. I know, I know, I'm a horrible, horrible person. Deal. ;p

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	19. The Weapon

Myth

Briar Elwood 

A/N: I think...I'm going...to cry...I FEEL SO LONELY!!!!!!!! 5 Days and only 60 some hits on the last chapter!! 2 reviewers!!! That's a record for this one...I-I-I...okay, so maybe it's because school's starting but still...does everyone really have the much homework already? I know I don't!!! sniffle

Chapter XVIII

The Weapon

"General O'Neill."

Jack turned around in his chair to see Richard Woolsey in his office doorway. Jack frowned and stood.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked before he could stop himself. "Did you know the Ori have infiltrated—"

"The Ori are powerful gods," Woolsey said in a monotone. Jack blinked. What the hell? "Convert to their teachings and they will give you eternal salvation."

"Okay, what's going on, Richard?" Jack demanded. "Did they threaten you or something?"

"If you will not convert you shall be punished."

"Brainwash?" Jack suggested.

"Hallowed are the Ori."

"Okay, look, I don't know what they did to you, but I'm not about to 'convert to the Ori' or any of that. Neither is anyone else," Jack added. Woolsey blinked mechanically.

"Then you must be punished."

**Virginia…**

_"Hey! He's just a distraction!" a voice exclaimed suddenly. "They're trying to get the kids!"_

Daniel swore softly as he and Teal'c slipped into the tent.

"Teal'c, you get out there, I'll look for the kids," Daniel ordered. The Jaffa nodded and ran back outside, joining the sudden battle. Suddenly Daniel heard a small voice from inside the tent.

"But what if they're bad guys?"

"I recognize his voice!"

Daniel's heart gave a leap. "Jared?"

The small boy jumped out from behind stack of boxes. "Daddy!"

Daniel froze for a moment, surprised. Jared had called him 'Daddy'. Jared had actually called him 'Daddy'…

"Uncle Danny!" Rose came hurtling after Jared. Daniel swept them both up in a bear hug, unaware of the relieved tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Where's James?" he asked after setting them back down. Rose pointed to where she and Jared had been hiding.

"Back there," she answered. "He's heavy."

Daniel's smile widened as he hurried to grab James. "C'mon. We've got to move quickly."

He grabbed Jared's hand, who grabbed Rose's hand and they all ran outside, scurrying into the trees as fast as possible. After a few minutes, the sounds of the battle died down and the rest of the team joined them. Sam took James from Daniel and smothered him with kisses and bent down to give Rose a large hug. Vala picked Jared up, laughing with relief and kissed his forehead hard. Jared rubbed where she kissed him with a twisted expression after she set him down again.

"Aw, Mom…" he whined. Everyone laughed. They hadn't even realized how scared and worried they really had been. After everyone reunited happily, Daniel took a moment to look around.

"Where's Ba'al?" he asked Cam. Cameron shrugged.

"He has fallen in battle," he replied jovially. Daniel grinned.

"Bonus."

**SGC…**

Very woodenly, Woolsey advanced on Jack. Jack backed up a few steps instinctively, confused.

"Richard Woolsey, what is your _problem_?" he demanded.

"Hallowed are the Ori," Woolsey replied. Jack growled.

"Look, you're not a very intimidating person. Back off."

Woolsey continued forward but Jack hadn't really expected him to listen. Jack squinted at him angrily; ready to knock him out or whatever it took to knock some sense into him. Distantly, he wished he had those nifty powers the team had so he could possibly figure out what was going on. Suddenly it came to Jack. Somehow he _knew_ Woolsey was possessed…or close enough to it anyway. On a whim, Jack imagined pushing the non-Woolsey out of him and opened his eyes to see the real Woolsey blinking rapidly and stopping.

"General O'Neill?" he asked, voice normal though confused. Jack couldn't help the grin growing on his lips. This was _cool_.

**After SG-1 Returned…**

A very unnerved Woolsey had gone back to D.C. and the children were taken to Carolyn Lam for her to check up on them. While Carolyn took care of the kids, the team met with Jack, who explained his own adventure after they briefed him on the rescue mission and the oh-so-sad loss of Ba'al.

"You know, Jack," Daniel said thoughtfully. "The war's being held _here_."

Jack frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Ori's army is _here_, on Earth," Daniel explained. "And if the war's _here_, we need our weapon, the ghosts of Huisa."

"Wait, what about our powers?" Cam asked. "Isn't _that_ our weapon?"

Daniel shook his head. "I think that simply makes us the scorpion. The ghosts still have a vengeance to fulfill anyway."

"Oh, yes, of _course_," Vala drawled sarcastically. "The wise, all-knowing Daniel _must_ be correct."

Daniel's eyes squinted at her. "What is your _problem_?" he demanded.

"_You_ are!" Vala retorted.

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed.

"You are _so_ conceited!" Vala continued, not hearing Jack.

"Oh, and you aren't?" Daniel growled.

"Stop it!" Jack ordered.

"Not anymore!" Vala declared. Daniel scoffed.

"Just like how you're not a space pirate anymore?"

"Daniel!" Jack yelled.

"I'm not!" Vala defended.

"A con-artist?" Daniel suggested scathingly.

"Daniel!" Jack exclaimed, voice rising.

"No!" Vala argued.

"A thief?"

"No!"

"Daniel Jackson!"

"A slut? You _are_ a slut."

"I am _not_!"

"Daniel Jackson, listen to me!"

"But you _are_ a whore."

Suddenly the briefing room was silent. Vala stared at Daniel, her mouth ajar as if she had suddenly lost the capability to speak.

"You're a sluttly whore," Daniel accused. "And a cheap one at that."

An involuntary noise emitted from Vala's mouth.

"Daniel, I think that's enough," Jack said quietly. Daniel pulled his glare away from Vala and gave Jack a very fake pleasant smile. "You might be right," Jack said, as if nothing had happened. "But today's been a little stressful enough. You leave for Huisa tomorrow at 1000 hours. Dismissed."

Before Jack even finished the word, Vala was up and out the room. Daniel wasn't far behind but it was obvious he wasn't hurrying to apologize.

"Daniel!" Jack called quickly, but it was too late. He doubted the archeologist would've listened to him anyway.

A/N: (sharp intake of breath) Ooo…ouch…ow, ow, ouchy. Yeah…

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	20. Self Importance

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: I apologize ahead of time about the monologues…But I really do love this chapter. AND THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS LAST CHAPTER!!

Chapter XIX

Self-Importance

That night two storms were brewing in the same apartment. Jared Mal Doran slept peacefully in his own bed, unaware of the silent war being waged in the room next to him. Vala was ready to go to sleep except for the fact her mind was reeling. She sat on the side of her bed, trying not to be so conscious of the man viciously brushing his teeth in the bathroom behind her. She loved Daniel more than she thought possible but sometimes he still treated her like a child! And now? Suddenly it became too much for her to bear. Vala buried her face in her hands, putting all of her effort into not making a sound as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Meanwhile Daniel kept his eyes stubbornly on their own emerald reflection and _not_ on the hunched figure he could see in the mirror. He was to the point where he was too furious to make any sense of his whirling thoughts. With more force than necessary, Daniel spit into the sink, cleaned his toothbrush and wiped off his mouth. He turned to the bedroom and moved the sheets, flopping down on his back. Of their own accord, his eyes drifted to Vala, still sitting on the edge…_teetering_ on the edge…Daniel pushed that thought away, too angry to allow himself to feel bad. But why were her shoulders shaking? She wasn't _crying_, was she?

Suddenly Vala stood and walked out the room. Daniel silently bid her good riddance but soon couldn't stand it any longer. He sat up and got out of bed himself. He changed back into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and walked out as well. He spotted Vala doing dishes on his way to the door and winced instinctively. Vala only did the dishes when she was extremely upset.

"I'm going out," he told her gruffly, grabbing his keys and jacket. Vala nodded shortly and Daniel walked out the door.

He jumped in his truck and drove to the nearest bar. The bartender probably had tried to engage him in some sort of conversation full of bartender wisdom but Daniel simply stared into his glass before paying and leaving. For once, alcohol wasn't solving his problems. And Daniel refused to go home until he figured them out.

**The O'Neill Household…**

_Knock knock_

Jack groaned and Sam shuffled under his arm.

"Who could _that_ be?" she muttered.

"Dunno. Let's ignore 'em," Jack suggested.

_Knock knock knock knock knock_

"They soun' urgen'," Sam mumbled. "You get it."

Jack groaned again and rolled out of bed, throwing on some jeans. Yawning and ruffling up his hair, he opened the door and frowned.

"Daniel?"

The linguist waggled his fingers at Jack. "Hi."

"She kick you out?"

Daniel's face fell and he growled. "No."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You need a place to sleep for the night?"

"No!" Daniel insisted. "I just…can I come in?"

Jack shrugged and stepped to the side, shutting the door behind his friend. "Want sumthin' to drink? Beer?"

"You got something stronger?" Daniel asked. Jack's frown deepened as he walked to the kitchen.

"I know you don't hold your liquor well, Daniel," Jack scolded, but threw him a bottle all the same. "That's the strongest we got. Dunno what _you_ got at home."

Daniel's lips twitched as he opened the bottled. "_We've_ got vodka in our fridge. Vala's a fan."

Jack nodded, leaning against the wall as Daniel settled down on the couch. "So. What's up?"

Daniel winced and took a swig. "Can I talk to Sam?"

Jack frowned for a moment but shrugged. "Sure, I guess. I'll go get her." Jack walked back to his bedroom and shook Sam's shoulder gently. "Hey," he said softly. "It's Daniel."

Sam opened her eyes slowly and gave Jack a concerned look, sitting up. "He okay?"

Jack shrugged. "Dunno. He asked for the strongest beverage we got, though."

Sam was out of bed quickly, threw on something a little more decent and hurried out to her adoptive brother.

"Hey," she said in her smooth, motherly voice. "What's up?"

Daniel sighed heavily, staring at his hands. "Vala and I…had a fight."

Sam didn't point out that that had been obvious.

"After…the incident in Iarad, I realized everyone there, including Henwies and the Prior, had been scared of me. That freaked me out. And I told Vala that and she told me I could be a scary person. She said when I was in power, I could get ruthless and frightening and that's why she's always said Orionus and I are the same person, just Orionus is the scarier side of me. She said most people, myself included, always look at me as some happy-go-lucky innocent archeologist. And…that upset me. I accused her of only saying that to gain something for herself and told her she was still the same space pirate from all those years ago. She didn't like that. And…well, you saw what happened in the briefing room today."

Sam nodded but didn't speak, knowing Daniel wasn't done yet.

"I just…I didn't _mean_ it," Daniel continued. "I _know_ she isn't any of those things I accused her of being but what she said about me set me off." He looked up to meet Sam's soft blue gaze. "_You_ don't think I'm frightening, do you, Sam?"

Sam sighed and shifted her weight slightly. "Well, I never realized it until now but—"

"I don't believe it," Daniel muttered, taking a swig of his drink.

"No, listen to me, Daniel," Sam said urgently. "I won't say Vala's right because I don't want to start taking sides but she _does_ have a point. For example—"

"Orionus, I know," Daniel mumbled after another swig.

"No, actually, before that," Sam corrected. "Eight years ago when you were a Prior, when you did that thing to Woolsey, _that_ was freaky. At that point, we very well could've all been proven wrong about putting out trust in you and you could've killed him. And the only reason you threatened him in the first place was because he was messing with your personal plans."

"You guys couldn't have done it without my help!" Daniel protested. Sam shook her head.

"You don't know that. Maybe you're right, but if we had gotten by Adria, I could've wired the ship so _I_ could steer it. And another thing, Daniel," Sam added quickly when Daniel opened his mouth to argue. "The fact that this is bothering you is proof enough! You can't handle your own self-righteousness. And you protesting that we couldn't have handled the situation without you? Daniel, if you don't come to terms with your self-importance then you're going to _lose_ Vala. The two of you are a wonderful, perfect couple, you just…fight a lot. There's a lot of friction between your two personalities. And for this relationship to continue, or to have even started in the first place required a lot of effort. On _both_ of your parts. Vala's done an amazing job, she's come out of her old habits as a con-artist and a seductress and someone constantly on the run. Vala's done her part. Now it's your turn."

Daniel stayed quiet, nursing his drink thoughtfully. Suddenly he looked up, frowning.

"What do _you_ think, Jack?" he asked gruffly. Sam turned to see her husband glumly walk out from behind the wall. Jack shrugged.

"I _have_ to agree, Daniel," he answered. "She's my wife."

Daniel glared but sighed, standing up and setting his now empty bottle on the side table. "It looks as if I have an apology to give," he said. "Thanks for the therapy, Sam."

Sam nodded, smiling.

"And thanks for the drink, Jack."

Jack grinned and clapped Daniel on the shoulder. "Anytime, Danny-boy. I'm impressed, actually. You're holding up really well."

"Yeah, well, the cogs in my head are burning up all the alcohol," Daniel replied jokingly.

"You sure you don't need a place to stay tonight?" Jack made sure. Daniel nodded.

"Don't want to put it off any longer," he explained. "But thanks for the offer."

"Good luck," Sam said. Daniel smiled at her.

"Thanks. See ya in the morning."

**The Jackson Household…**

Vala had been scrubbing this last plate for the past ten minutes, harder and harder with every passing second. It _had_ to have been as clean as new a long time ago but Vala wasn't exactly paying attention to it. Suddenly her strength exceeded what the plate could resist and it shattered all over the sink the floor and Vala's front. This pushed her over the steep edge and she dropped the scrubber and fell to the now-wet floor, sobbing and pulling her knees up to her chin. She didn't even hear the front door open.

"Vala?"

Oh, no, not _him._

"Oh my--…Vala, what _happened_?"

He actually sounded like he _cared_. What a joke.

Daniel crouched in front of her, a gentle hand resting on her arm.

"Hey," he said softly. "Look…I'm sorry about…calling you a space pirate, con-artist, thief and a cheap whore. I didn't mean it."

"You forgot slut," Vala mumbled. Daniel smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry for calling you a slut too. I…I know you worked hard to clear your name of that reputation and that was wrong of me to shove it back at you. It was completely unfair on my part. And I'm sorry."  
Vala raised her gaze to look at him strangely. "Did you practice that?"

Daniel smiled. "Yeah, a bit. Something I picked up from you."

"Why the sudden apology?" Vala asked. Daniel cocked his head to the side uncomfortably.

"Well, I kinda got some sense knocked into me."

"Do you got the bump to prove it?" Vala asked eagerly. Daniel laughed.

"No. Would you like to give me one?"

Vala grinned widely. "Yes!"

Daniel spread out his arms. "I'm all yours."

Vala gave him a vicious kick in the groin. Daniel keeled over in the suds on the floor.

"That was harsh," he hissed. "But I deserved it." He stood up after a moment and swept her off the floor into his arms. He carried her to their bed and set her down gently.

"Now. Let's clean you up."

He pampered her for a while, cleaning up the suds, the water and the blood, then gave her a generously long kiss until she broke away suddenly.

"The kitchen!" she exclaimed. "It's a mess!" She moved to get out of bed but Daniel pushed her back down.

"I'll take care of it," he told her. "You get some sleep." He kissed her again before standing up. "I love you."

A/N: Happy? Especially you, Wings?? Does it satisfy you? ;p

Okay, now, I wanna know how many of you actually pay attention to the chapter titles…for example, the next one's called "Price You Pay". Do I have any reactions? I'm rather curious…

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!


	21. Price You Pay

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: Hehehehe...okay, this makes me, like extremely happy. I have (already) more reviews on this one than on Origin. It's kinda like the classic trilogy...the second's a dud, the first and third...well, opinions are always split on those. Personally...okay, SW III and VI are the betters. LOTR: ROTK is better. POTC: CotBP is better. Uh...S-M 3 is better...though, those are weird, the second one's better than the first. This? I don't know. Aftermath is classic, Origin's not horrid, and Myth has got lots o' action. Hehe. And there's my little schpeel for the day...

Chapter XX

Price You Pay

The next morning Cam and Teal'c were surprised to see Daniel and Vala were _more_ than getting along. Sam quietly and briefly explained things to them, however, and they left through the 'gate to Huisa without any further mention of the previous fights. As they were walking, however, a heated debate struck up in hushed voices in the back of the group.

"Daniel, _last_ time—"

"Ettan pulled something I hadn't expected. This time I'll be more prepared!" Daniel hissed lowly. Vala looked desperate.

"But—"

"I'm only getting Henwies and getting back out," Daniel promised. "He deserves it."

Vala couldn't argue with that. She resorted to pouting. Daniel chuckled slightly.

"Don't tell Cam 'til he asks. Tell him I'll meet you back at the 'gate." And he slipped away.

**The Red Wine…**

"Henwies!"

The loud whisper made Henwies jump and whirl around in his kitchen. Sweaty and red-faced as it was the middle of lunch, the innkeeper almost fainted when he recognized Daniel. Instead, he grabbed a large, hot metal pan and waved it around aggressively.

"Back away," he warned. "Demon!"

Daniel winced horridly but he forced a smile. "I think you're confusing me with the thing you've got cooped up in your stables."

"You brought Sal—_Vala_ back to life! Only Ettan, the Priors and the Ori have that power!"

"So did the Goa'uld," Daniel pointed out. "Look, I'll explain more later, but there are other beings like the Ori who gave me their power to help get rid of the Ori. I'm kinda like a Prior for _them_ right now."

"Other…_beings_?" Henwies echoed slowly. Daniel nodded.

"Yeah, the Altera, or Ancients, is what we call them. Now, Henwies, have you thought it over? You coming or not?"

Henwies thought. "You'll get me another inn?"

Daniel nodded. "A better one!"

Henwies considered this. "All right," he agreed.

**Huisa…**

"Cameron Mitchell!"

The team looked up to see Nori running out of the mountain, Aya closely behind her.

"You came back!" Aya exclaimed happily to Sam and Vala.

"But where is Daniel Jackson?" Spince asked as he walked out to greet them. Cam turned from smiling confusedly at Nori to scan his team.

"What?" he hissed angrily. Vala winced and tried to make herself as small as possible. Cam's eyes fell on her and he squinted.

"Where'd he go?" he asked menacingly.

"Iarad, he's getting Henwies, he'll meet us at the 'gate," Vala mumbled quickly. Cam swore and turned to Nori and Spince.

"Look, can you guys come with us back to our planet? We've got a problem with the Ori and all the help we can get, the better."

Nori nodded. "Of course," she replied enthusiastically.

"We'll _all_ come," Spince added. Cam did a double take.

"Uh…there's gonna be a _war_," he pointed out. "Isn't, say, _Aya_ a little _young_ for that?"

"It's her vengeance as well," Spince argued. "She's been taught how to fight. And it's not like she can get hurt."

Cam's mouth twisted as he looked at Aya, thinking. "Fine. Let's go."

**The Red Wine…**

"Wait, I need to close up—"

"No, Henwies, it'll raise suspicion," Daniel hissed urgently. They had grabbed a few essentials for Henwies and were at the back door, about to leave. "We especially don't want _Ettan_ to find out until we're _gone_."

"You don't want me to find out _what_, Father?"

Daniel looked around wildly to see Ettan at the staircase. He swore, grabbed Henwies's arm and pushed him out the door.

"Go!! Run!!" he bellowed. "I've got your back!"

At the same time, Ettan yelled his own orders. "Sirius, get the innkeeper! Kill him if you have to!"

Daniel hurled a blast of white power at Ettan and sprinted after Henwies. Seeing the robust innkeeper was having trouble with the great exertion of energy, Daniel picked him up with his mind and Henwies floated alongside the archeologist with wide eyes. Daniel would've laughed at his expression if he weren't so painfully aware of the large dog breathing down both of their necks.

Finally the 'gate came into view, along with the team and about two hundred ghosts. Cameron was herding them all through the wormhole, Vala hopping up and down with anticipation beside him. When they finally reached the others, Daniel pushed Henwies over the event horizon and grabbed Vala around the waist, planting a firm kiss on her lips.

"What happened?" Cam shouted, letting out a round of shots at the advancing animal with Ettan now on his back.

"Ran into some trouble," Daniel shouted back. Suddenly he found himself grinning ecstatically as he shoved Vala through the 'gate and let out a few rounds himself. "But, hey, that's the price you pay!"

A/N: Hehe. Did I freak anyone out? Hehe. The next chapter…oi. It's action packed. Like, to the brim. Jeez…

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!


	22. WAR!

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: (does a happy dance) This, however little hits it has, is officially numero dos on reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aftermath is ahead by 5 and somehow I'm thinking this is gonna overtake it soon...I mean, I'm only on chapter 21!!!! YAYAYAY!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!

(takes a deep breath) Woo. Okay. Here I go. (dives in chapter head first) AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter XXI

_WAR!_

"What the hell happened?" Jack roared as Sam and Teal'c hurtled through the 'gate, two hundred ghosts close behind them.

"Sirius and Ettan!" Sam screamed. "Where're the kids?"

"My office! You two get up here now!"

Teal'c and Sam ran up to the briefing room, panting with the adrenaline rush.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Rose squealed, running through Jack's legs. Sam picked her up, shushing her soothingly.

"Somehow the Ori have found us," Jack told them. "They're literally knocking on our front door." He frowned. "Well, more of knocking it down…"

"So just in the nick of time, then?" Sam said, bouncing Rose on her hip.

"Ah…how many ghost are there?" Jack asked with an awkward expression.

"About two hundred," Sam replied.

"_Ghosts_?" Jared echoed, peeking his head out. Jack shook his head.

"It's not gonna be enough."

"What if you add everyone here to it?" Sam asked, sounding worried.

"When I said they're knocking down out door I mean…they're knocking down our doors, blasting out our windows, landing on our rooftop and coming at us from almost every angle possible. With what I'm guessing is practically their entire army."

"Mommy, doggy!"

Sam pressed her fingers on Rose's lips absentmindedly. "Shush, sweetie. Mommy's busy."

"So what I'm saying is," Jack went one, "Teal'c, can you contact Bra'tac and get some Jaffa over here to help?"

Teal'c nodded and ran off.

"Mommy, _doggy_!"

"Aunt Sam?" Jared said quietly. "Uncle Jack?" Sam and Jack looked at him sternly. "Look…" Jared pointed out the window over-looking the 'gate room. Everyone had made it through by now and the 'gate was closed. However, two unwelcome additions had been made. The window shattered as Sirius's tail lashed against it.

Rose screamed and Jack let out an oath that would've made a sailor blush.

"Sam, get the kids in my office!" he bellowed as a group of Ori warriors ran up the stairs to meet them.

**00**

Cameron and Daniel had held out until Sirius got too close for comfort. They jumped through the 'gate and skidded down the ramp only to be quite literally swept off their feet by a large, shaggy paw. Ettan hopped down from his mount and immediately began throwing balls of energy at them while Sirius simply created havoc. It took Ettan by surprise when Cam started returning the energy balls but he soon accepted the idea and doubled his efforts.

"Ettan, listen to me!" Daniel bellowed over the chaos. "You've only been exposed to one side of this, if you'd just—" He broke off when a shower of glass from the briefing room window rained down on top of him.

"I don't think words are gonna do much at this point, Jackson!" Cam shouted. Suddenly a large black muzzle, yellow eyes and snarling fangs, obscured Daniel's vision. Cameron and Daniel now had their own battles to fight.

**00**

Vala stumbled through the mess of ghosts, more than once getting the awfully creepy and just plain _wrong_ feeling she was walking _through_ one of them. She saw Daniel fighting Sirius and made an effort to join him but that proved to be near impossible. She had the urge to help Cam and give Ettan a good smack upside the head but the colonel was holding up well and there were other people who needed more help. She tried to find Sam, Teal'c, Jack or the kids but couldn't and, instead, spotted Henwies just outside the 'gate room and being pushed up against a wall. Vala waded through the turmoil and wiped out the warriors advancing on the innkeeper with her mind. One of them only stumbled to the side slightly, however, and turned to see what had hit him. Vala's stomach lurched when she met the man's eyes.

It was Tomin.

**00**

"Aya, stick with me!" Nori yelled to her sister, fighting furiously. Aya didn't make any sort of reply but Nori knew she'd stay at her side. After losing their parents, they were determined not to lose each other.

Nori paid no special attention to most of the warriors. Every now and again she might recognize someone from Huisa but they were traitors and she didn't acre. But suddenly Nori felt Aya freeze at her side and looked down to her, terrified, and wondering briefly how someone could possibly kill her sister. However, Aya was simply staring at two specific warriors, man and woman. Jack would've recognized them as the two who had kidnapped the kids.

"Mom?" Aya whispered. Nori followed suit.

"Dad?"

**00**

Henwies was as terrified as a man could get. About ten Ori warriors were coming at him, all bent on giving him his dues for betraying Origin. Right when Henwies had become convinced his life was over, all of them simply…collapsed. Except for the one on the far left end…the one who looked vaguely like Bob—er, Daniel. He looked around wildly to see Sal—no, _Vala_ and realized _she_ must be like a Prior for those other beings Daniel had mentioned at the inn. Relief rushed through Henwies but for some reason, the man who hadn't fallen distracted her more than necessary and another small group of warriors turned on him. He began to back up again, praying Vala would look up from that man and see Henwies in trouble but that never happened. Henwies was on his own.

Henwies didn't like that idea. For some reason, it didn't scare him as it should have…it angered him. He had been bullied around since he'd been a kid and the Ori had only made it worse. He wasn't going to stand for it any longer. He was going to fight back.

A/N: (takes another deep breath) Okay…there's part one of the battle…now on to part two…GAHH!!!!!!

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!


	23. The Tide

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XXII

The Tide

After contacting Bra'tac and getting the promise of hundreds of Jaffa within the hour, Teal'c pulled out his phone and called Ishta.

"Ishta."

_"Teal'c. What is wrong?"_

"The Ori are here. A battle has broken out."

_"I'll be there."_

"No! Stay with Tya!" Teal'c insisted urgently.

_"I'll get a babysitter,"_ Ishta told him and then she hung up.

**00**

"Barricade yourselves behind the desk!" Sam shouted at the kids.

"What's 'barricade'?" Rose screamed.

"Hide!!"

Jared grabbed Rose's arm and pushed her behind the desk. Then he scrambled over to where James was in his car seat and dragged him over with Rose. She and Jared peeked out every once and a while to see Jack and Sam in the doorway, fighting back the warriors. A few times a stray blast would pass by the grown-ups' defenses and the kids decided to stay back and stay safe. Jared could feel Rose shaking beside him and looked over to her, concerned.

"You okay?" he asked quietly. Rose stared at him with wide blue-grey eyes and shook her head.

"I-I-I'm s-s-scared…"

**00**

"Vala?"

Her breath was coming in short, ragged breaths. How long had it been since she'd seen him? It was…five years ago? And it had been when he and Adria had tried to take Q from them the first time…. Part of Vala was amazed he was still alive, part of her yearned to run to him and hug him tightly and, yet, part of her wanted nothing but to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Tomin smiled and walked over to her, hugging her. In the middle of a _battlefield_. What the hell was wrong with him?

"I've missed you," he whispered into her hair. Vala pushed away from him, shaking her head. She had to tell him about Daniel.

"Tomin…I…I've re-married."

Tomin looked shocked. "But…. Who?"

Vala shrugged uncomfortably and ducked some sort of energy blast. "Daniel."

"But…"

Vala met his gaze solidly, heart aching for him. "I love _him_, Tomin. I'm sorry."

Tomin stared at her blankly, jaw slightly ajar. "Vala, I—"

Vala shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tomin." She started to back up, noticing now that Henwies was fighting off another round of warriors…though it seemed he was doing pretty well. A loud cry of pain made her attention swing back to Tomin, thinking he was bellowing out in anguish or anger, and saw him crumbling to the ground. Heart sinking, she may love Daniel, but Tomin was still a friend, Vala rushed to his side, checking his pulse and the smoking wound in his side.

Tomin was gone.

**00**

On the battle went, spreading throughout the entire SGC base. A few hundred Jaffa joined them shortly, probably creating quite the ruckus on ground level, and the battle started to turn against the Ori's favor. However, they all knew that if this wasn't finished soon, they would lose strength and the tide would turn.

**00**

Jared and Rose hugged each other tightly; eyes squeezed shut as they tried to block out the sounds and sizzling air surrounding them. At one point, Jared peeked open one eye to see James's seat had moved too far out of the protection of the desk. The little boy let go of his friend and grabbed the carseat, dragging it out of harm's way…and screamed.

"Uncle Jack!" he screamed over the din. "Uncle Jack!"

Jack scrambled over to the kids, looking hassled. "What?" he hissed angrily. But then he gasped.

James O'Neill had been hit, his little body smoking dangerously. His eyes were closed and his face was a deadly white…Jack fought past the bile rising in his throat and checking his son's pulse…there was none.

"No!" he whispered hoarsely. "No!!" Quickly he pulled away the singed clothing to check the wound and stopped abruptly when he saw James's flesh.

It wasn't flesh. Past the skin, was black machinery, searing hot and melted.

**00**

Daniel was past desperate. Daniel was past angry. Daniel was past tired, even. Daniel was at the point of just plain frustration. How could he, by himself, defeat a freakin' thirty foot tall _dog_, vicious and ready to use him as a chew toy?! The archeologist was beatened, battered and bruised and it only kept getting worse. Suddenly Daniel found himself flying backwards and he hit a wall, slumping to the floor painfully. Swearing as he spit out blood and a few teeth, he stood quickly, knowing he couldn't waste a second on trying to renew his strength before getting back to his fight. However, his knees buckled momentarily and Daniel had to take another precious moment to stand up again. Finally straightening, a large paw, claws unsheathed, swipped his body horizontally and Daniel flew back away, feeling the air against his now exposed muscles.

There was absolutely no way Daniel was getting up now. His face was practically cut off and he couldn't see worth anything. His stomach was almost split open and his legs were completely useless. Pain was Daniel's only compainion until he heard someone scream his name and, a few seconds later, cradle him in her arms. Daniel gasped in pain as his open flesh touched more open flesh and the blood in his mouth shot down the wrong tube. Daniel chocked, trying to cough the blood out so he could breathe but it only made the situation worse. Vala repeated his name frantically, wondering what she had done wrong and froze suddenly when Daniel's head lolled to the side, his body shuddering before slumping lifelessly.

A/N: And I shall be, yet again, an evil, evil person and leave you with that cliffhanger (hanging from a cliff!! And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger!!!!!!)

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!


	24. Our Side

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE, THUS FAR, REVIEWED, AS THIS IS OFFICIALLY NUMERO UNO IN NUMBER OF REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter XXIII

Our Side

"Daniel!" Vala screamed, horrified. His perfect face and body was demolished, muscle, bone and blood taking its place. His frame stilled and Vala knew he was gone. First Tomin now _Daniel_? Vala was terrified by her husband's grotesque appearance, mind too shocked to form a coherent thought save horror at his death. "No…Daniel!"

_Move aside._

Vala looked up, startled at the voice in her head. Only a couple feet in front of her face was Sirius. His eyes had changed from a demon-like yellow to a film-like white and he had an almost concerned look across his muzzle.

"What?" she hissed, too distraught to realize the absurdity of talking to a _dog_.

_I can bring him back._

"And why should I trust you?" she demanded, all thought of the surrounding battle gone from her mind. "_You_ were the one that _killed_ him!"

Sirius looked ashamed. _It is complicated. But I am no longer Sirius. I am Oci Demaan._

Something about that name was familiar to Vala…but she couldn't pick where from. She decided to take her chances (Daniel was already dead, what could he do to make it worse?) and laid Daniel's body down, scooting away. Sirius…or Oci, whichever, touched his large nose to the archeologist's tattered body, eyes closing in concentration. Vala watched in fascination as Daniel's gapping wounds closed and healed, his body returning to its normal, perfect form. A few seconds later, Sirius/Oci backed away and a rasping gasp shuddered through Daniel's body and he sat up, looking confused. His eyes immediately fell on Sirius/Oci and he scrambled backwards.

"Daniel!" Vala gasped, rushing to his side and helping him stand. Daniel took her help graciously, eyes wild and flitting between her and the dog.

_Sir_, it chocked. _I'm so sorry…_

Daniel pulled a double take, staring at the demon as he recognized the voice.

"Oci?" he exclaimed. The ashamed look came back over the muzzle.

_After you left, sir, we continued our production of the defensive animal. We needed someone's spirit to give it life and, figuring it would be the best way to continue your legacy, I volunteered._ The dog blinked it's huge white eyes at Daniel apologetically. _Over the years locked away in that cave, the dog's manner took over my own consciousness. I hadn't considered the possibility of meeting with you again and being ordered to kill you or the dog taking over when I volunteered, sir. I'm so sorry._

"So you're saying you'll fight for him, even if he's fighting against the Ori?" Vala demanded. She found that hard to believe. Oci nodded.

_Of course._

"I told you Vala," Daniel muttered, still having trouble believing this situation wasn't a dream. "Oci's first allegiance was Orionus, not the Ori."

Oci nodded in agreement. _Exactly._

Vala stared at Daniel blankly for a moment but soon a look of determination came over her face, the old mischievous grin tugging at her lips.

"So now what?" she asked with a smile. Daniel smiled back at her, finally feeling the renovation Oci had given him.

"We go kick some Ori butt."

**00**

Cameron had lost sense of what the hell he was doing. All he knew was he was trying blast damned Ettan outta existence and _it was not working_.

"AAARRRGH!!!!"

For a moment, Cam had thought the bellow had come from his own mouth but soon realized Ettan was no longer where he had been a second ago…. No, he was hanging high in the air, arms and legs flailing angrily, being held up by the collar by…Sirius? Cam's eyes traveled down to the dog's feet to see Daniel and Vala standing there, looking not the least bit concerned a thirty foot dog was standing right behind them. Vala waggled her fingers at him.

"Hey, Cam. How ya doin'?"

Cam frowned. "Eh. As good as you could guess," he panted. "Mind explaining?"

"Sirius…or Oci is on our side now," she explained as the dog set Ettan down gently, right before the boy's father. "We're getting Ettan to 'see the light' now as well."

Cam still had no idea _how_ this could've possibly happened (wasn't Oci the first Prior of the Ori?) but decided to go along with it. After all, it sounded like a good plan to him!

Meanwhile, Daniel had his hands on his hips, concentrating hard on restraining Ettan from using his powers in retailiation. Ettan looked absolutely furious, his face a bright shade of angry red.

"Sirius, as you know, him is gone," Daniel informed his son. "Oci is on our side. That's a high disadvantage on your part, Ettan. I could kill you in a heartbeat right now. That's what you'd do to me if our positions were reversed," he pointed out. "So. What're you gonna do?"

"You wouldn't kill me," Ettan seethed. Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"You're not my son, Ettan. Why would I spare you?"

Ettan laughed. "How am I not your son? You fathered me!"

Daniel nodded. "True. But no son of mine would try to kill me."

Ettan had no reply to this and his lips curved downward in a highly unhappy frown. Daniel felt his barriers around the little boy strain against his efforts to push against them and tightened them considerably. A look of shock and fear flashed across Ettan's face and he blinked rapidly, shaking his head.

"Th—the dream…" he whispered. Daniel only heard him because the major portion of his concentration was focused on the area Ettan was standing on. "It—it was a prophecy!"

Daniel frowned. "What dream? The Ori don't allow dreams!"

Ettan nodded. "I know, but…back when I lived with you…I…I had a dream." Suddenly Daniel remembered Ettan collapsing in he and Vala's bed that one fateful day…

"You and…and Mother were in it…and you were fighting. You won…because you were right. You were true."

Daniel smiled slightly, letting the barriers drop slightly. "So do you believe me now, then?"

Ettan looked back up to meet his father's gaze, his eyes wide and wondering. "Yeah…yeah, I guess I do. Dad," he added with a smile.

A/N: Lalalalalalalalala…I LOVE THIS STORY!!!!  
AND I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!


	25. Owned

Myth

Briar Elwood

A/N: Okay, while I have the next couple chapters written and waiting (therefore updates shall be quicker), afterwards they will slow. You see, I have...many things I need to be memorizing. I'm the lead female role in our fall play, I'm in an accapella Christmas singing group (28 elite singers from my high school...I'm so excited), and then there's the regular concert songs I have to memorize...(runs around like a chicken with her head cut off). Yeah...

Chapter XXIV

Owned

Still shaken at the revelation that James was actually a machine, Jack rushed back to Sam's side to see Teal'c, Cameron, Daniel, Vala and _Ettan_ running up the stairs to help. Daniel pulled them all over to the window (letting the Jaffa continue the battle) where Sam and Jack saw _Sirius_ waiting for them.

"What's goin' on?" Jack bellowed.

"They're with us now," Daniel explained. "Look, I'm not sure if this is gonna work but we gotta try to _combine_ all of our powers. I'll guide us through after that, 'kay?"

"What do we do?" Sam shouted trustingly. "Hold hands or something?"

_That would be impossible for me,_ Oci pointed out. Daniel shrugged.

"Imagine it, I guess. That's how it's _been_ working."

So the group formed a circle, closing their eyes and leaving the deadly chaos surrounding them behind. They found themselves floating among vast galaxies, still in formation.

_Oh…wacky,_ Cam muttered.

_It's beautiful!_ Sam exclaimed.

_I wonder where _we_ are,_ Vala mused, looking around.

_Right there,_ Ettan said, pointing at a cluster above them. _That's the Milky Way._

_Even _I_ feel small,_ Oci commented.

_Do we not have a mission, Dr. Jackson?_ Teal'c pointed out. Daniel looked startled, jolted out of his awed reverie.

_Oh. Right. Okay, we're looking for the Ori themselves,_ he told them, giving his surroundings a peering look. The others did the same and soon found themselves splitting up, shooting to different areas of the Universe. Daniel found he, Ettan, Oci and Vala were speeding the same direction and realized they must be going to the Ori galaxy.

_Celestis_, Ettan murmured reverently as they slowed to a strange turquoise planet.

_Now what, Daniel?_ Sam's voice startled the four of them.

_We're still connected,_ Daniel realized. _Just…imagine them gone, I guess. I don't think they notice we're here, _he added as a pair of obvious spirit-like people walked right in front of them.

_Here goes nuthin'_ came Cam's hiss. Daniel glanced to his companions: his wife, his son, and his most loyal servant. Vala grinned at him, his heart warming at the light the smile shone. Daniel grabbed her hand tightly, returning the smile, and the four of them turned back to the Ori.

A blinding white light flashed through the area, its origin being the four companions. Unbeknownst to them, the power of this light was so strong that it traveled throughout the entire galaxy, the Ori blinking out of existence like light bulbs. When the light was gone from their view, they opened their eyes, knees immediately buckling.

_Whoa,_ Cam's voice breathed. _Really takes the steam outta ya._

_Did it work?_ came Jack's terse inquiry. Daniel looked up wearily, unsteadily getting to his feet again. He looked around the area to find it completely deserted, save for the four of them.

_Looks like it._

_They're gone?_ Vala asked. _Just like that?_

_It _does_ seem a bit easy, Daniel,_ Sam said.

_I beg to differ!_ Cam exclaimed. Daniel was about to reply but found he, as well as Ettan, Oci and Vala, were flying back to their original spot among the stars, the others joining them.

_He's right, _Daniel pointed out. _That wasn't really as easy as you're making it sound. We had to combine our powers, which required trust and faith in each other. If one of us hadn't been on the level, he or she could've easily swiped all the power for themselves and gotten rid of us. And not just on a physical level…mental and time-wise. And for us to have had faith in each other, especially Ettan and Oci…well, that took a lot._

_Ow!_ Cam yelled suddenly, taking a step back, clutching his elbow and vanishing from view as if he stepped backwards through a veil. The rest of them followed suit.

"Cameron Mitchell!" Nori yelled. The group blinked rapidly, adjusting to the change of surroundings. They were back in the briefing room, yet they were now alone save Nori, her eyes wide. Cam rubbed his arm, annoyed.

"What?" he demanded. Nori blushed.

"Sorry. I didn't know if something was wrong."

"How'd you do that?" Cam asked. "It _hurt_!"

Nori shrugged. "Ghosts have power too."

"How's it goin' on your front?" Daniel asked, stepping forward. Nori grinned.

"That's why I'm here, actually. They're retreating. We've won!"

"Sweet," Cam whistled. "That's a few million for the scorpion and a big fat _zero_ for the hunter. Owned."

"Casualties?" Sam asked, trying hard not to smile at her fellow colonel.

"Aw, spoil it, will ya?" Cam muttered but he looked at Nori expectantly. She shrugged mildly.

"No ghosts were killed," she said with a smile. "And I don't believe too many Jaffa were lost."

"Henwies?" Vala asked quickly. Nori's smile widened.

"He's great. Never would've guessed he had that much vigor in him."

"Ya see?" Cam said happily, turning to Sam. "_Owned!_"

"James."

Everyone turned to look at Jack who, up until this point, had been uncharacteristically silent. A jolt of panic went through Sam's system at the tone of her husband's voice.

"What about him?" Daniel asked, confused.

"It wasn't _him_ you rescued," Jack said hoarsely.

"Daddy!" Rose squealed, hurtling out of Jack's office and over to her father, Jared not too far behind her. Jack picked Rose up, a little too protectively, and Vala grabbed Jared. He gave Jack an imploring look from his perch.

"Uncle Jack?"

"James was hit," Jack said tersely, walking over to the desk and grabbing the car seat and turning it so everyone could see.

"Is he…dead?" Rose whispered, voice quivering.

"It's a machine!" Nori observed. Jack nodded.

"A tracking device. It's how they found the base."

"So where's James?" Vala asked, frowning.

"My guess?" Jack said, eyes fixed on his wife's horrified stare. "The Ori's warriors still have him."

A/N: And you thought it was wrapping up, didn't you? Well, YOU WERE WRONG!! Hehe.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!


	26. James

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XXV

James

_"My guess? The Ori still have them."_

Daniel turned to Ettan, frowning disapprovingly. "Do you have anything to do with this?"

Ettan winced. "I ordered them to exchange one of the kids for a tracking device, yes. I didn't specify what to do with the real kid."

Jack looked furious. "I love how you're so poise about this!" he shouted. "So you have no idea if James is even _alive_ or not?!"

Ettan shook his head. "I can find out, though."

Cam frowned. "How?"

"The warriors don't know I've realized the truth yet," Ettan pointed out with a shrug. "I can act as though I'm still on their side."

"Couldn't you just tell them the truth?" Vala asked, confused. "I mean, you _are_ their leader."

Ettan shrugged. "I could try."

Jack nodded curtly. "All right. Do it. I want Teal'c with you."

**Later…**

"My loyal warriors!" Ettan cried, running into a majestic building on Celestis. Hundreds of heads turned to see their leader, followed by that dark Jaffa they all were warned about, at the doorway. Far in the back of the hallway, the Doci stuck his head out, as he hadn't seen Ettan since the boy had left for Earth to warn his father about Sirius. And maybe…maybe Ettan could explain the mysterious and sudden disappearance of the wall of fire.

"A great revelation has come to me!" Ettan continued, seeing he had their undivided attention. "The Ori are false gods! However powerful they may have been, they were not true gods!"

"What do you mean 'were'?" a warrior called out.

"They have been eliminated," Ettan replied. "They are gone. Dead."

"And why are we to believe that?" the Doci shouted, stepping fully into the hall. "He is accompanied by one of SG-1! Surely you all recognize him as the Jaffa, Teal'c? How are we to know that our leader is not simply telling us these things because he has been threatened by SG-1? It _is_ the way they work, through deception and lies."

Teal'c stepped forward. "I believe you have been misled, Doci. The Ori are those who work through deception and lies."

The Doci ignored the Jaffa and walked over to Ettan, taking his hand. "Whatever they have threatened to do, sir, they cannot do it here." He gestured to the crowd. "All of these men are willing to fight for you. Especially after that embarrassing defeat on Earth, I am sure they are all eager to repay SG-1."

Ettan smiled in return, backing away from Teal'c. "I am grateful you were able to see the truth, Doci."

Teal'c frowned. Had Ettan been, as O'Neill would say, yanking their chain?

"This Jaffa was ordered to keep a watchful eye on me," Ettan continued. "Now I must ask you, where is the son of General O'Neill and Colonel Carter?"

The Doci's eyes flitted to Teal'c, who kept his face as stoic as ever, realizing Ettan was simply playing with the cards laid out to him.

"I don't think, sir—"

"I wish to know where the son of General O'Neill and Colonel Carter is!" Ettan bellowed, putting the force of his authority behind every syllable.

"Safe, sir," the Doci replied quickly before lowering his voice. "Here, on Celestis."

Teal'c strained to hear the man. Ettan nodded his approval.

"In this building?"

"Yes, sir."

Ettan nodded again. "I will go see him," he told the Doci as he left the hall.

"What about the Jaffa?" the Doci asked hurriedly. "What do we do with him?"

Ettan stopped, pausing to think. Teal'c considered this as well. Ettan couldn't very well _allow_ him to leave without raising suspicion and the Doci and the warriors would expect him to order them to kill Teal'c. This presented a problem.

"Do what you wish," Ettan said vaguely and left. The Doci turned back to Teal'c with a smile.

"Kill him," the Doci ordered. The warriors leapt for the Jaffa, weapons in hand. Teal'c raised his P90, let off a few rounds, and bolted for the door, running straight for the 'gate.

**Earth…** (A/N: I would just like to say that, yes, I realize Teal'c wouldn't be able to go straight from Celestis to Earth by the 'gate. What happened was, he gated to a planet on the far boundaries the Ori galaxy where he and Ettan had left a ship and flew back to Earth. Just so you know.)

"So Ettan's still there," Cameron concluded for Teal'c.

"Pretending to still be on the Ori's side," Vala added. Teal'c nodded.

"Indeed."

"All right, it looks like we're going to Celestis," Jack said, clapping his hands on the table.

"Whoa, wait, _we_?" Daniel interrupted. "Jack, you—"

"I'm going," Jack said with a very final tone. "James is _my_ son."

Daniel looked to Sam for support but it seemed as if she was too lost in thought to realize the linguist's pleading stare.

"This is how its gonna work out," Jack continued. "Sam 'n' me'll go for James. Daniel'll go for the Doci. The rest of you, Mitchell, Teal'c, Vala and Oci'll go for the rest of the warriors. Keep 'em off the rest of us."

"What about Ettan?" Daniel asked, still not too happy with the idea of Jack coming along. "And who's gonna be in charge of the base while you're gone?"

"Walter can take care of it," Jack replied off-handily. "Ettan's a big boy too, Daniel."

"What makes you think we can take on a bunch of Ori warriors, General?" Cam added. "That's only four of us. Granted, Oci counts as about twenty but still. We're greatly outnumbered."

Jack's reply was a stare and the colonel began to rise slightly out of his chair. "Do the warriors have powers, Mitchell?"

Cam fell back to his chair with a thud, looking un-nerved. "Uh…no."

"How're we getting there?" Vala asked. "Oci's too big to get on any ships."

"We'll have to jump 'gates," Sam said quietly. "Dr. McKay did something like that to make transportation between Atlantis and Earth easier."

Jack nodded with satisfaction. "Sounds good. Let's go."

"Whoa, _now_?" Daniel asked incredulously. It seemed to him as if Jack was getting irrational with worry for his son. Jack gave him a stone cold stare.

"Yes, now, Daniel."

"General O'Neill, I believe it would be wise to leave in the morning," Teal'c advised. "We need rest."

Jack looked tense for a moment but nodded. "Fine. We leave at 0700 hours, then. Sharp."

A/N: (taps fingers nervously) Okay, so I _know_ what's going to happen and I'm _still_ tapping my fingers nervously? What's up with that?

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!


	27. Conversations

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XXVI

Conversations

"Daniel…"

"Hm?"

"Do you…do you think there's the…I don't know, _remote_ possibility of us ever having another child?"

"…I wouldn't be the one to ask, Vala. Carolyn, maybe. Not me."

"She doesn't think so."

"Well, then…"

"What about adoption?"

"…You serious?"

"Yeah…"

Daniel looked deep into his wife's eyes, glinting in the slight moonlight streaming through their bedroom window.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a possibility."

**00**

"Who watched Tya today?"

"A girl down the street. I meet Bra'tac during the battle."

"Ah. I failed to see him before they left."

"I believe he…approves."

Teal'c smiled. "Is that what he said?"

"He said he was taking a leaf out of General O'Neill's book."

**00**

"So. You guys' vengance has been fulfilled," Cam commented, still at the base.

"Yes," Nori replied, not meeting his eyes.

"What will happen now?"

"I do not know. There are others more versed at the methods than me."

"So you don't know if you'll just stay ghosts or…something?"

"Nope."

"Huh."

**00**

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"So am I, Sam."

A/N: Yeah, it's as wacky short as it gets but deal with it. It didn't fit with what happens next.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!


	28. The Kids

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XXVII

The Kids

When the group arrived on Celestis, everything was quiet.

"There's no plants," Cam observed in surprise. "None at all."

"Well, look at the ground," Daniel pointed out. "Does it look like they could survive?"

"Adaptation!" Cam argued. Daniel shrugged.

"Where to, Teal'c?" Vala asked. Teal'c pointed straight ahead and led the way. A large building, familiar to three of their party, came into view. Daniel and Vala exchanged glances as they clutched onto their P90s a little more tightly.

"SG-1!" a cry suddenly rang out. "It's SG-1!"

"Crap," Jack breathed. "All right, split up like I said," he ordered. "Let's go."

He and Sam took off to the side, hurtling past guards, shooting blindly as they ran.

"There!" Jack bellowed, pointing to a door. "That's where Teal'c said Ettan left to!"

Sam let off a couple more rounds before bolting to the door and slamming it open. Jack wasn't far behind her, almost toppling over her as she had frozen immediately inside the room. Jack regained his balance quickly, swearing and slamming the door shut behind him. Then he turned around and saw what his wife was staring at.

Right before them was the same couple that had kidnapped the kids in the first place, the male holding a struggling James up by the scruff of his neck, gun resting against the little babe's neck. They stood right before what Daniel would've realized was another section of the former home of the wall of fire.

"Turn around and walk away," the man ordered. Jack shook his head.

"No. I'm not letting you hurt him."

The man smiled. "Turn around and walk away and he will not be hurt."

"What is your problem?!" Jack suddenly shouted angrily. "How can you have the heart to threaten a child?!"

The man's smile disappeared and the woman flinched. Jack raised an eyebrow and took a cautious step forward.

"Did you two have a kid?"

"Two," the woman whispered, gaining a sharp glare from her husband. "They refused to accept the Ori as gods."

"And were killed," Jack concluded softly. "What were their names?"

"Aya and Nori."

**Meanwhile…**

Daniel stayed with the group a bit longer than Sam and Jack did, but after he and the others advanced into the building, Daniel broke away to find the Doci. Taking a wild guess, the linguist sneaked down the halls to where he had first met the Doci, opening the door cautiously.

Inside he saw the Doci, standing wonderingly before the chasm that used to hold the wall of fire. Now the raging flame was gone, replaced by a cold, dark nothingness that seemed to be baffling the man. Daniel bit down his morales, walked into the room further, and pushed the man over the edge with his mind.

"You're pathetic, Father."

Daniel and the Doci whirled around to see Ettan standing in the doorway. Daniel felt a blunt force of power hit him in the back and stumbled forward, swearing colorful curses. So Ettan had been fooling with him. And now Daniel was up against two.

**Meanwhile...**

"Aya and Nori?" Sam repeated suddenly, stepping up to Jack's side. "We...we know them!"

The woman's eyes looked hopeful. "Was it them we saw at the mountain? As ghosts?"

Sam nodded quickly, amazed.

"It's a small world…well, universe, after all," Jack muttered.

"Stop it!" the man shouted, sounding panicked. "Shut up! Turn around and walk away!"

"You know, you're starting to sound like a broken record," Jack commented.

"Shut up!"

"Look," Sam started, "we can—"

"No!!" the man bellowed, the horrid sound of his weapon going off mingled with his cry. Sam stopped talking with a shuddering gasp. Jack was petrified with shock, his eyes resting on James's now still body, for a few brief eternities, his vision steadily turning a dangerous shade of red.

With a shout that sounded like a mix between a war-cry and an animal's growl, Jack leapt for Aya and Nori's father, his power giving him the inhumane strength to literally tear the man apart. No longer in control of himself, he savored the feel of the warm blood on his hands, the tense muscle ripping like paper, the bone crushing under his grasp…He vaguely felt someone try to stop him and immediately pushed them away, only faintly aware of them falling down the chasm.

"No!! Jack!! STOP!!!!!"

Sam's scream was the only thing that brought the general back to his senses, barely in time to see James's body tumble down the darkness as well.

"NNNOOOOOOO!!!!!" he bellowed, jumping to grab him. But he was too late. Desperately, he tried to find James with his mind and pull him back that way, but he couldn't.

James O'Neill was gone.

**Meanwhile…**

Daniel ducked as two blasts from opposite directions headed directly for his head. He mentally tried to push the Doci over the edge again, but failed as Ettan hurtled under his legs. Daniel grabbed his son's collar and tossed him the other direction, keeping his powers focused against the Doci.

"NO! DADDY!!!!!"

Daniel froze, confused, as he turned back around to watch Ettan hit the wall heavily. The little boy fell to the floor with a slump, unconscious, and Daniel winced instinctively. Apparently he had put a little of his power into the toss…

He had no time to dwell on it, however. The Doci had regained his composure, and was attacking Daniel with everything he had. Daniel refocused his attention on him, fighting for his life and lives all over the universe.

A/N: Eheh. Intense chapter. Again.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!!!!!!


	29. Finished

Myth

Briar Elwood

Chapter XXVIII

Finished

Distraught, Jack turned his tortured gaze to Sam, whose eyes were wide and frightened.

"I-I'm…_so_ sorry," he chocked hoarsely. Sam stared at him, only partially petrified because of the death of her son. Yet another part of her was still scared of her husband…just seconds ago, he'd been a vicious, vengeful animal and she wasn't quite sure if she trusted him enough at the moment. Tears tugged hard in her eyes and she blinked furiously, trying to push them away. Jack took a tentative step towards her.

"Sam?" he whispered. "I'm sorry…"

Sam shook her head, stepping backwards. "Jack, I-I…I can't…you…"

"I scared you," he finished darkly. Sam hesitated before nodding briefly. Jack walked to her, taking her arms gently.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "It's me again, Sam. It's me."

Finally Sam broke down and gave into his touch, burying her head in his warm chest and letting the sobs come freely.

**Meanwhile…**

"You've been wondering what happened to the wall of fire," Daniel shouted to the Doci as they continued their battle. The Doci glared, refusing to answer save with another assault. Daniel dodged it easily.

"You've been wondering if the Ori have abandoned you."

"They _haven't_ abandoned me! I still have my powers, do I not?!"

Daniel smiled to himself. There had been a trace of panic, of doubt, in the man's voice. If Daniel could convince him the Ori were gone with_out_ having to kill him…

"Yes, but so do I!" the linguist pointed out. "How could the Ori allow me to still have my powers if I've so-called 'betrayed' them, ever wonder that?"

The Doci let out a frustrated bellow, sending a steady stream of power Daniel's direction. Daniel met the power with his own, knees buckling slightly at the force from the two powers meeting head on.

"The Ori are gone! They're _dead_! You're alone, Doci! And Sirius? The dog? He's on our side, too!"

As if on cue, the far wall crashed down, revealing Oci battling about fifty Ori soldiers at one time. The Doci seemed to take in this scene and Daniel could feel the resolve behind the opposing power weaken. Taking advantage of this, Daniel pushed a little more into his own powers and forced the Doci's to fall completely. The man himself stumbled backward from the momentum.

"No!!" the Doci screamed. "Hallowed are the Ori!!"

"Talk about faith," Daniel grumbled under his breath. Sensing another attack, Daniel gave the man another small push, forcing him over the edge and into the cold, dark abyss. Daniel gave a heavy, almost regretful sigh and turned back around to frown at where Ettan still laid, a crumpled heap against the wall. With great caution, the archeologist treaded closer to his son, wondering faintly if he had accidentally killed the child. He knelt by the seven-year-old's side and reached out for his pulse.

"Uh…"

Daniel started at the moan, drawing his arm back quickly and throwing up defenses. Ettan's face twisted into an almost annoyed pain and his eyes flickered open slowly.

"D-d-…Dad?"

Daniel stared into his son's eyes…_his_ eyes. Well, what they had been.

Ettan pushed himself up with effort, taking in surroundings with a frown.

"Wh…what happened? Where are we?"

Daniel hesitated. "Celestis."

Ettan looked up to meet his father's emerald gaze. "Huh?"

Daniel paused again, before answering. "Celestis. The former home of the Ori."

Ettan took this information in ponderingly. "Ori…Ori…that sounds familiar…What is Ori, Daddy?"

Daniel's eyes flickered with surprise and he probed at Ettan's inner-self to see what was going on. The flame of power within his son was gone, vanquished somehow, and…the little child truthfully did not remember…

Daniel's lips curved slowly into a smile, his heart swelling with excitement. Maybe _now_ he would get the chance to raise his son the way he'd dreamed.

**00**

It happened that the companions were forced to almost completely annihilate the Ori warriors before they surrendered. General O'Neill and a man who the soldiers decided should be their temporary leader came to an agreement not to bother each other in any sort from this point forward, and the friends went home.

**SGC…**

"So. It went well, I take it," Nori said with a smile, standing in Cam's office doorway. Cam looked up from his computer and smiled back.

"Yeah. I guess. I mean…we lost James, but we finished the Ori _and_ their supporters for good so…" He shrugged. "Harsh sacrifices, I guess."

"Yeah," the ghost agreed, walking in further. "So, I talked to Spince about what'll happen to us, now that our vengeance has been fulfilled."

Cam looked up again, expression interested.

"He said…well, he doesn't know in how long, but shortly, we'll…just, kinda, cease to exist," Nori told him awkwardly. "Like we're actually dead. Just like that."

Cam blinked, surprised. "Wow. Uh…and there's not anything you can do?"

Nori shook her head. "Not unless you can somehow bring us back to life." Suddenly she stopped and looked up to meet Cam's now smiling eyes. "Oh."

Cam chuckled. "I wonder if not having your bodies, but your ghosts will be enough!"

**00**

All of SG-1 agreed that the ghosts deserved their help and, once again, combined their powers to bring the entirety of the ghosts of Huisa back to life. Afterwards, Cam turned to Nori, now fully solid and alive, and attempted to draw her into a hug with his mental capabilities…and found he couldn't. The rest of the scorpion then attempted to use their powers as well and also found they no longer held the capability. Daniel came to the conclusion that their purposes had been used and Merlin had taken them away. They would have to get used to being completely human again. There was a little grumbling to this revelation but Daniel pointed out that they had started to get a little careless. What would someone outside of the Stargate Program say if they saw one of them "using the Force"?

"Can you imagine the attack of Star Wars geeks?" Jack asked.

A/N: I know I'D totally attack.

As you can probably tell, this is starting to wrap up…this exhilarating saga is coming to an end. Wow. That's kinda weird.

I LOVE REVIEWERS!!


	30. Epilogue

Myth

Briar Elwood

Epilogue

Oci Demaan would've liked to have stayed on Earth with the man he knew as Orionus, perhaps even became a pet, but seeing as that was impossible, Oci moved in with Bra'tac and, every once and a while, went over to the Ori galaxy to check up on them. The dog found it an honor to serve Daniel in any way he could.

The team was able to fulfill Daniel's promise to Henwies and give him a new (and better!) inn. It was located locally and named by the innkeeper himself, _Bob and Sally's_. Daniel and Vala were a little embarrassed by that. _Bob and Sally's_ was an amazing success and eventually went nation-wide and even partnered with _Sol's Diner_ (much to Vala's great delight).

Also to Vala's happiness, the Jackson residence not only took in Ettan as their child, but they adopted a beautiful African baby girl named Zola. Sam became pregnant again, this time with twins, boy and girl, whom they named Pryce and Brynn.

A few years after the final defeat of the Ori, Cam re-married to Nori. Together they had one child, a little girl named Carla. Years went on and the children grew up, Jared Mal Doran and Rose O'Neill marrying and having one boy, whom they named Kristian Jackson. Eventually, Ettan and Aya married as well, their oldest daughter having a child whom she named Q Larienge.

A long time afterwards, in the year 2157, an old woman with hair still as jet black as her great-great-grandmother's was telling stories to her young grandchildren. She was just finishing the story of the old little demon who could spin straw into gold when one of the boys made known his request for the next story.

"A myth!!" the child cried. "Not some fairy tale, a myth!!"

"Nerd," another boy scorned. The old grandmother gave the boy a stern look.

"Now, now, Jonathan. What myth would you like to hear, Danny?" she asked the younger boy. Danny shrugged, looking sheepish and giving one of his cousins a stare that pleaded, "Help me!"

"Sammy…" he whispered. Sammy shrugged her petite shoulders.

"I don't know any myths, Danny!"

"How 'bout the one of the scorpion?" another boy suggested. "You know, the one from the stars, with the hunter…"

The grandmother smiled warmly. "Excellent choice, T. Any objections?" She paused, giving the children expectant looks. "Good. I shall tell you the story of Orion and the scorpion. …Though I must warn you, it wasn't _simply_ a myth."

A bright sparkle twinkled in Q's eyes before she dived into her story with excitement.

"It was a gorgeous city, really. Like nothing Daniel Jackson had ever seen before. …"

A/N: (has a huge grin on her face that will simply not go away…she's probably scaring her sister…like usual)

Wow. I…I'm done. That is SOOO weird. It's over. Like, over, over. AHHHH!!!!

And now, for my customary thank yous.

Thank you, as always, to my dear mother for allowing all the time I use on the computer.

Thank you, as always, to my dear sisters whom I read to and suddenly realize little things that are SO messed up and need to be changed.

Thank you to a few reviewers who get honorary mentions:

Anjirika, whom, if I remember correctly, has been with the trilogy since the very beginning. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!  
HAZMOT, who, truthfully, kinda intimidated me at first but, well, I mean, after getting this trilogy called "the holy grail of (my) existence"…. Also, I stole some of her wordings from reviews…

Wings90, whose reviews are one of the most fun things to read. All the speculations and such…and it was amazing how many times you actually were right!!

Of course, HAZMOT and Wings90 put together…well, that was interesting to say the least. I loved to read the complete contrast between your two views. And, the funny thing was, I usually agreed with both of you 99 percent!

Thank you to ALL reviewers and readers, this ride has been absolutely amazing! More reviews than Aftermath, even, though there were less hits than Origin! The hit to review ratio is absolutely outstanding, so thank you so much!!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW THE LAST EVER UPDATE OF THE INTERFERENCE TRILOGY!!!!!!

HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Briar N. Elwood


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